Secret Affairs
by MySeverusForever
Summary: What happens when Hermione Granger, working on a mission to recover information of the upmost importance runs into not only the partner she thought was dead, but also her very first partner Draco Malfoy. The man who had seemed hell bent on deserting her, who now wants nothing more than for her to trust him again.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione didn't understand how she got herself into these situations. Honestly, she reprimanded herself as she peeked through the keyhole on the closet door. It's not like this was her first mission- far from it in fact, it's just that this time she had no partner to cover her tracks. She chastised herself for growing so dependent during her work. There had always been a possibility that she would no longer have a partner, and she should have prepared herself more thoroughly. Her eyes scanned as much of the room as she could from her limited peephole, and counted at least three visible guards. With a deep sigh of exasperation, Hermione stood up from her crouch and looked around the tiny room she had gotten herself trapped in. Itching for her wand, she thought about how it was hidden in her luggage back at the safe house; freeing her from being tracked by any magic trails. Biting down on her lip, Hermione unconsciously pushed back a few strands of her unruly brown hair; trying to get it to lay neatly in her bun as her eyes scanned along the small shelves. As her eyes glanced over the shelves she noticed a small air duct on the ceiling, just big enough for her to squeeze in, and crawl through she reckoned. Without a single hesitation Hermione expertly began to climb up the shelving unit, and move towards the back of the room. Allowing herself a moment of pause to study the grate on the duct, she quickly pulled out a small hair clip. Maneuvering beneath the lock Hermione was easily able to open the grate. Hooking her leg into the small crawlspace, she used her arms for leverage and slid into the air duct with ease- backwards.

"For Godric's sake." She muttered under her breathe in annoyance, backing up in the small space; hoping for a "T" intersection for her to be able to turn around in. After a few minutes of crawling, she stopped and caught her breath as she pulled a small electronic GPS device out of her tight cat suit. Her eyes followed the in depth analysis of the mansion she happened to be in right now. She noted her position on the map, and used her finger to follow a path she needed to take to get to the vault. She quickly replaced the GPS in her suit, and continued her backwards crawl, until she heard voices bellow her. Freezing in her tracks, Hermione let out a very quiet breath, and tried to find any sort of grate for her to spy through. With no luck she lowered her ear to the metal and tried to eavesdrop on whoever was below her.

"I reckon that the longer we keep the prisoners in the basement the longer we can interrogate them. I mean, honestly no one will come for them here." The voice was deep, and rugged; Hermione thought back to the report she got, and came up blank. Maybe he was just a guard.

"I don't think that anyone will come for them anywhere. I mean, think about it… They have no alliances that we know of, and most everyone doesn't even know that they're missing." This voice was higher pitched- a female. A frown of confusion flickered over Hermione's face. Who were these people?

"I guess you're right. Though, I'm not sure where they are supposed to be transported to. I guess it doesn't matter either, really." The man droned on and Hermione could no longer pick up any useful information, so as silently as she could manage, she began to crawl again.

It seemed as if the air duct had no end, and Hermione began to feel her muscles cramping up from being confined for so long. Finally she felt a wall behind her foot, and began to twist her body until she was able to turn in the small intersection. Thinking back to her GPS she moved forwards until finding a grating in the masters' suite. Looking through it, her shoulders relaxed in relief. The guards must be outside the room, as she had hoped. Carefully she removed the grate, and lowered herself down until she only had a few meters to drop. She landed softly on the balls of her feet, hardly making a noise. This was the part of the job that she was good at- breaking into the vaults. Quickly she moved behind the desk where she knew the safe was. Just as it said in her report the safe was under the desk. Crouching down she kept her ears alert as she maneuvered the lock. A small 'click' sounded and she felt herself smile as she opened the door. Between a few stacks of galleons, and sickles laid a few scrolls and a key. Grabbing them she shoved them into the small bag inside her suit, and stood up. She paused for a moment to contemplate her next move just as the doors opened and two guards walked in.

Before the two guards registered what was happening Hermione had already vaulted across the desk and used a wooden chair to hold herself as she kicked the guard on the left across the face. Staggering backwards the man reached for a wand, just as Hermione threw her body at him in a fierce tackle.

"Oh no, you bloody well don't! If I can't have my freaking wand, then neither can you." Hermione used her weight to drive the man to the floor, before deftly punching him twice. Quickly she hopped up, and grabbed a vase in front of her, turning just in time to see the second guard rushing to her. Standing her ground she waited until the last moment to swing the vase back and hit him in the face with it. "It's a shame that was a very nice vase" Hermione mused as she stepped over the two unconscious men.

She silently left the room, holding herself close to the wall as she peeked around. "Well dammit." She hissed as she saw more men running down the hall. Quickly Hermione began to bolt down the corridor, twisting around corners until finally when she could no longer see her pursuers she hid behind a door. As she tried to take a deep breath, she turned to look where she was, and was surprised to see stairs leading down. 'Prisoners in the basement…' With a second glance to the door, Hermione quickly went down the stairs, listening and watching. As she turned a corner she saw a guard dozing against the wall, and two people tied on chairs. Wiping sweat from her brows Hermione contemplated her next move for a moment, before acting on it. Deftly she moved to the guard and kicked him hard- hard enough to knock him out.

"Granger?" A hoarse voice murmured, causing her to falter for the first time this mission. Her shoulders tensed and she turned around, her eyes narrowed in hardly hid contempt. As she turned her eyes finally could make out the prisoners, but her eyes focused on the man on the right. Draco bloody Malfoy. "What are_ you_ doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Her voice came out sharper than intended and she glared. "I'm doing my job, Malfoy. And apparently I'm once again saving your sorry arse as I do it." With hardly hid disdain she walked over to him, trying not to stare at his bruised face. Without trying to she noticed that his hair fell perfectly into place, even though it looked like had gotten the crap kicked out of him more than once. She tried to focus on her job as she moved to untie the rope tied around him, pausing just as she almost started. She owed nothing to this man. Nothing. He had almost ruined her life more than once, and here she was about to save his. Again.

"Hermione, thank Godric you're here. I knew you would come." The voice came from beside Malfoy and Hermione looked up, noticing for the first time that her partner was there. Maria's face was slightly swollen, but she looked at Hermione as if she were God.

"Maria? The institute… They all think you're dead. I thought that you were dead? Why are you here?" A new thought occurred to Hermione and she frowned in confusion. "Why are you with him?"

Maria stood up, her petite 5'4 frame making Hermione feel like a giant next to her, although she was only a modest 5'8. "I'm sorry, there's no time to explain right now." Maria said, looking ashamed as she rushed to Malfoy and undid his bonds. "We have to get back."

"To the Institute?" Hermione was baffled, she hadn't seen Maria in more than a month, and yet Maria was focused only on Malfoy- the git.

"Of course not the Institute, it isn't safe there." Draco glowered as he looked around, quickly moving towards a counter on the far side of the room, limping slightly. "We have to get back to my safe house and have a large discussion about who the fuck gave away our information. Maria when we get back you get to the lab and you cross examine every single one of the operators on our team, got it?" He returned to Maria's side holding a bag and a coat. "Is your wand still in here?" He muttered as he began to search the pack"

Maria nodded, and ignored Hermione's pointed glares and scowls as she delicately pulled the pack away from Draco and easily reached in, returning her hand with a wand. "Want me to go right now, Draco?" It was obvious to Hermione that the two knew each other a lot more than Hermione would've thought. With a curt nod from Malfoy, Maria apparated, leaving Hermione shocked and alone with Draco Malfoy. Crap. How did she get herself into these situations? She glanced over and was surprised to see Draco staring at her, not even trying to hide his blatant gaze.

Thankfully, before either of them could break the silence a crash sounded from the stairway and a guard walked in, He paused when he saw the two, but without any more hesitation he yelled for back-up and ran towards Hermione. She was thankful for the distraction. As he charged, Hermione crouched, and flung out her wrist, allowing the man to run straight into her outstretched fist. As he staggered back Hermione began to lay out blow after blow. Hitting him in the stomach, the side, the face, Hermione grunted lightly with the excursion. With every hit she began to feel more in control of herself, like she did after a good research, or book. Finally the man staggered and collapsed, blood oozing from his nose. With a small noise of disgust she wiped off her knuckles, and turned around.

Malfoy was grinning and had packed up his supplies; now walking towards her. "From the expression on your face earlier, I thought that was going to be me. Good job, partner." He stopped beside her, and she felt her heart leap, before she glared, and looked up at him. Which was a mistake. A big mistake. All she could see was his deep, grey eyes staring into her hazel ones.

With a silent kick to her brain, Hermione focused again, and frowned. "I am not your partner, Malfoy. You made quite sure of that when you left the force without a word to anyone almost a year and a half ago. And you haven't sent any word to me since then." _Didn't you think about how worried I was for you? How much I missed you? _She kept those thoughts silent, glaring.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, and stepped closer to her. "I couldn't tell anyone where I was going, Granger. Especially not you, after what happened the day before I left. They would have tortured you for information."

"What happened the day before was nothing except a mistake. A big mistake!" Hermione insisted, even though she knew she was lying.

"Nothing? It was nothing?" Malfoy murmured, his gaze turning icy. With a quick step, he was right in front of her, his chest pressed against hers. Hermione realized with a start that he was about to do it again, and she remembered her first rule: Never make the same mistake twice. Just as his lips where about to touch hers, she stomped hard on his toe, making his jump back.

"What the fuck, Granger!" He growled, his eyes narrowing. Her heart was hammering, and she wished for a moment that she hadn't stopped him.

"I don't trust you, and I have no idea who you are, and what you're doing here, Malfoy. If you try and do that again, I will not be as polite. Do you understand?" Hermione's voice was icy, and her eyes were slits of anger. She would not let him hurt her again, she promised herself. Before he spoke, Hermione's eyes rested on his lips for a brief moment. She would not let herself be seduced again, and used for his own dirty purposes.

"Fuck." Was all he said before grabbing her arm and pulling her toward a door she hadn't noticed just as a 'ping' sounded behind her? Was she getting shot at?


	2. Chapter 2

With a growl of frustration Draco pulled Hermione to the ground, jostling her as he shifted above her. Her thoughts went into overdrive as she tried to wiggle out from beneath him, his scent filling her nose. With a violent shake of her head she reprimanded herself: Here she was getting bloody shot at, and all she could focus on was Malfoy's cologne. His very masculine, edible cologne. _Godric! Get a grip on yourself, woman. _With a start Hermione realized that Draco was half covering her, and crawling at the same time. _Was he trying to protect her? Of course not. Stop getting these ridiculous notions into your head. Focus._ With a soft wince, Hermione twisted beneath Malfoy, and began to crawl, until they got behind the far wall.

"Now what's the plan?" Hermione muttered as she searched the room, looking for any sort of quick getaway. Her eyes landed on a far window, before moving and coming across an elevator shaft. _Small enclosed space? Not a good idea at the moment... _Hermione thought as she looked up at Draco, meeting his stormy gaze.

"Of course, leaving all of the quick thinking to me... Just like old times." He smirked, his old insufferable arrogant smirk, before shifting towards the window. "I'll boost you through, alright?" His eyes stared into hers, as she mutely nodded, hating him silently. To her utter shock, he grabbed onto her shoulders and glared. "When you get through the window you run. Do not stop, and do not turn around, got it?"

"I wouldn't even think of it. Let go of me." Hermione pulled away, her voice wavering feebly as she tried not to think on his caring gesture. _Deceitful git. _With a roll of his eyes, Draco paused for a moment to listen, before grabbing Hermione's hand and almost dragging her to the window. With barely a seconds pause Hermione used his momentum to jump up and use her foot to smash the window open.

A grunt of approval sounded from Draco's throat as he hooked his hands under her other foot, and lifted her through the small opening. Using her arms, she pulled herself out, and quickly looked around spotting no guards. She turned to start sprinting away, like Draco had told her to, but she stopped herself. When had she ever done what she had been told when Malfoy was involved? Instead she crouched down, and reached her arms through the broken window.

"Fuck- Hermione, get away!" Malfoy glowered at her from below, just as another round of shots sounded from in the basement. "God damn it!" Muttering curse words under his breath Draco reached up and took Hermione's hands, pulling him through. "Fuck."

"Now we can run!" Hermione muttered turning and sprinting towards where she snuck in from- the forest. With a quick look back she noticed Draco on her heels, and no guards anywhere near. Sweat pooled over Hermione's features as she used all her stamina to get into the cover of the trees, her breath coming out in near gasps. When she reached the forest she didn't stop, instead she raced through the brambles and trees until she was sure they were safe. Well, as safe as they could be in this situation. A small crash caused her to turn around, and she noticed that Draco was moving slow. Usually he beat her to their destination, and boasted about it to no end.

"Are you alright?" Hermione ventured closer to him, her eyes slowly raking over his body. _You're looking for injuries; _she prompted herself, _nothing more. _Even with her reminder, her eyes dragged slowly over his features, taking in every inch of his tall, 6'2 frame. She noticed small things, like how he had a new scar on his chin, and how his normally pale skin was now a shocking shade of whit. The skin around his eyes was bruised, and his eyes were… Closed for once.

Gently wrapping her arm around him, she lowered his body to the ground; leaning him against a tree for support. "Malfoy? Malfoy- answer me." She hit him in the arm, and his eyes flashed open.

"What in the hell was that for?" He glowered up at her and she faltered for a moment, once again captured by his gaze. _Stop it! _She bit down on her lip and let out a soft sigh.

"I was worried… You seemed like you passed out. Are you alright?" She quickly began patting him down, from his chest, down his arms, to his hips, then his legs. With a sound of surprise she pulled her hand away from his calves, and stared at the sticky blood on her hand. "You were shot, and didn't tell me? You git!" With a quick glance around she groaned in frustration, before reaching ito her pocket to grab a small Swiss army knife. Carefully she used it to cut off part of her outfit, which she promptly used to tie around his leg.

"If I knew that getting shot was all it took for you to start stripping then I should had done it sooner." Draco mumbled, watching Hermione's movement, wincing lightly.

She stood up quickly, meeting his eyes with a surprised gaze. After hesitating, she pursed her lips and frowned deeply. "Sooner as in after you left mne high and dry at the Institute without a partner? Making me look like an amateur who didn't follow the first rule of being an agent: Trust in your partner. I trusted you Malfoy, and you left me without a single word.' Her voice began to get higher pitched the more upset she got. "Stop acting like we're a team, Malfoy, because we aren't. Not anymore."

Draco's voice was deep when he retorted- _With regret_? _No, it can't be… He meant to hurt me. Waited for the perfect scenario and deserted me. _Hermione glared as he stared up at her. "If we aren't a team then why did you stay and help me out the window? Why didn't you leave when you had the chance? That's what I thought, Granger. We need each other right now, and you know as well as I do that we're a damn good team."

After a moment of angry hesitation Hermione looked around. "We should get to somewhere safer." Draco slowly pulled himself off the ground, and began to hobble slowly through the thick bush. "Where do you think you're going?" Hermione almost yelled, as she moved beside him.

"To get somewhere safer… Maria should be here soon with the truck. At least, I hope she is." Draco said curtly, walking straight ahead without so much as a backwards glance at Hermione. With a sigh, she followed him, knowing that she really had no other choice. _Even if you did have another choice, you'd still choose Draco, _she reminded herself. After almost an hour, Hermione's legs began to ache, and exhaustion was blurring her vision. Leaning against trees for support, Hermione knew that Draco must feel worse- way worse. Just as she was about to recommend a break, Draco let out a small noise of delight.

"I knew she would be waiting for us! That's the thing about Maria, you can always rely on her to know what to do." Draco started to walk faster until he reached a small, sturdy looking Jeep. As he climbed in the driver's side, he looked up at Hermione, with a flicker of annoyance. "Get in."

"Where's Maria?" She asked as she tentatively climbed in, the seat feeling wondrous under her tense muscles.

"Apparated back, I suppose." Draco replied shortly, throwing the Jeep into gear, and stepping on the gas. Silence surrounded the two as he drove, and before she knew it, Hermione drowsed off.

A small groan left her lips as Hermione woke up, blinking sleepily, and shifting uncomfortably. Sitting up, she looked around and realized she was in a bed, next to something that had wakened her. As her eyes adjusted she could make out the familiar features of Draco. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to get up, but realized that her legs were intertwined with Malfoy's. _Great. _Shifting slightly she tried to pull herself away, with no luck. Instead she tried to lie back down, and turned to look at Malfoy. Noticing his expression of vulnerability, she wondered yet again how she always gets herself into these messes. Slowly moving her legs, she focused on freeing herself just as Malfoy mumbled lightly in his sleep.

"Hermione… No…" She leaned in to hear more, "Please… Trust me." With a small noise of effort, Hermione hauled herself out from beneath him, still in shock that he had whispered her name in his sleep. _Which means… He must be dreaming about me._ She turned to look at him one more time, pulling away from his hold on her when his eyes flashed open. Freezing in her tracks, she met his gaze in surprise, unsure of what to do.

Before she could mutter an apology, Draco wrapped his arm around her, pulling her lips to his fiercely. His lips were warm against hers; his breath light against her mouth. After a few moments of trying to pull away, Hermione finally leaned into the kiss, pressing her lips against his in return. Her heart hammered inside her chest as his hand roamed under her shirt; create a trail of fire over her skin that made her crave more. Now Hermione found herself pressing closer to this man, entwining her body against his as his tongue lightly traced over her bottom lip. Her hands ran over his bare chest, making their way towards his soft, luscious hair. As his tongue fought against hers for dominance in her mouth, he shifted above her, holding her still against the bed. She tried to catch her breathe between smoldering kisses, reveling in the way he kissed his way down her neck. Her breathy moan sounds throughout the room as she feels his hard length against her clothed thigh. She pulls his lips back to hers; trailing her hands down his chest just as a sharp knock pounds at the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Before he knew what was happening, Hermione had pulled her lips from his and pushed her hands hard against his chest, causing Draco to fall off of the bed. Blinking in a daze he slowly replays what had just happened in his mind. He woke up to Hermione almost leaning over him, and all he could think about was having her, so he kissed her. This wouldn't had been a surprise except for the fact that she had kissed him back; ravishing his lips with her own. Another knock sounded at the door, and Draco muttered a curse under his breath. If it hadn't been for the dreadful timing of the person at the door he may still be kissing Hermione, though from the look of her embarrassed glare he doubted it.

"You should probably answer the door." Hermione whispered; her voice deliciously rugged from sleep, and perhaps slight arousal? Draco wondered. With a small smirk he righted himself, brushing his hands on his boxers as he sauntered to the door, glancing back at Hermione for a moment. He took in her delightfully tousled hair that billowed over her features, giving her a look of innocence as her curves were very pronounced in the cat suit she was still wearing. It took him a moment to look up to her face, where her hazel eyes were narrowed at him- like usual. With a growl of annoyance, Draco turned and looked through the hotel room peephole, before opening the door to reveal Maria. A very chipper, and happy Maria.

"What do you want?" Draco growled- his voice deep and coarse from lack of use. "You had better have some good news for me, or I may have to maim you."

Maria raised an eyebrow dubiously, glancing between both Draco and Hermione, before shrugging flippantly. Her voice was light and breathy as she replied; amused. " Trevor was found with evident traces to the Institute on both his computer and phone. Its obvious that he is the snitch, and repercussions are happening at this very moment as we speak. Although, as a team we have decided just too rough him up a little for finding an open blueprint of the safe house on his desk, and instead we decided to feed him false information just to back up our evidence. Anything else, boss?" She flipped her long blonde hair, and smiled up at Draco.

"No, that's good." Draco scratched his chin absent-mindedly; feeling the bristles from not shaving recently. With a spark of amusement, he glanced over at Hermione noticing red scratched over her neck from his kisses, and scruff. He turns his attention back to Maria, who is looking at him expectantly. "Although since he had the directions to the safe house, we need to relocate. Make sure that Carlos can find one that is just as convenient for our next mission. "

"Yes sir." With a smile Maria turns to leave before looking over at Hermione. "And thanks again for you know... Rescuing us, Hermione."

Hermione gave a fleeting glance at Maria, a faint look of irritation on her face as she replied." You used to be my partner. I wasn't about to just ditch you." The accusing tone of her voice made it evident that Hermione felt betrayed by Maria, and no longer wanted anything to do with it, as did the icy glare followed by her reply. Maria paled lightly, and looked down at her shoes in guilt before whispering a soft 'Goodbye" and leaving.

Hermione jumped off of the bed when the door closed, and crossed her arms over her chest. Draco glanced at her expectantly, as if already expecting the explosion that Hermione's angry demeanour promised. " How dare you kiss me like that! And where am I? Did you kidnap me?" Her voice began to climb in urgency as more questions and accusations escaped from her. " When did you meet Maria? When did she start to work for you? Who are you working for? What were you doing at the Jones Manor? How long were you held hostage there? What are you trying to do with your missions? Why didn't you tell me you were safe and alive after you left?" The last question was quiet, and no longer angry, but instead heartbreaking. Her expression was now open and vulnerable as she stared up at Draco.

He took a small step closer to her, his expression carefully controlled, though a fleeting look of regret flashes through his eyes at her last question. "Maria and I have known each other before she started working with you. I made her join to protect you after I knew that I couldn't work with you anymore. Her and I are a part of an undercover operation, trying to stop the Institute from exploiting innocent people in the place of the criminals. I didn't tell you were I was going, because you would this entire mission at jeopardy. I was trying to get the exact same document at the Jones' manor as you were trying to get." He gave a small smile, before letting out a sigh at the look of utter betrayal on Hermione's face. "And I kissed you, because it was too damned hard to resist."

After a moment of disbelief, and stunned silence, Hermione met Draco's eyes, and whispered. "I don't believe you." Her shoulders were held defiantly, and her eyes were narrowed in hostility.

Flabbergasted, Draco grabbed her arm. " I just told you everything, and you don't believe me? I answered all your questions!"

She cocked her head to the side slightly, and grimaced. "You're a deceitful liar. I never should had trusted you. Even when we were partners, I should had realized that the part of you that was a Death Eater would never truly be gone. I bet you get joy from hurting me, don't you? You get a rise every time you know that you've deceived me, and that I fall for your lies. I'm done, Draco. I'm done with you and all of your twisted sadistic ways. Now, if you don't mind I'm going to shower, collect my things and then get the bloody hell away from you."

Draco stood stunned, never expecting her to accuse him so thoroughly. _Sadistic? _After a moment of Hermione moving towards the washroom, he turned to her, his voice low and murderous. "You know more about me than anyone I've ever met. You know all about my father, and how I had to become a Death Eater. I cannot believe that you would say that, Granger." She paused, before continuing her way to the washroom and locking him out.

After she left the room, Draco lay down on the bed and tried to think straight. What he had said was the truth- He couldn't had let her know about the operation, or else he would be to focused on her instead of on the mission. She was too damned distracting with her perfect body, and intellect. And her hair. Fuck, that hair that never wanted to do what it was supposed to do- kind of like Granger herself he supposed. And how soft it was. He revelled in the memory of earlier that morning, when he had her trapped beneath him. Hell- he couldn't even think straight when she wasn't near him, anymore.

The water sprayed over her sore body, and she let out a soft sigh of relaxation as her hands moved to her hair to rinse it off. As she started to shampoo her hair, her thoughts returned to Draco and his intense stare. Guilt washed through her, and for a moment she wished she hadn't mentioned how he had been a Death Eater. She knew that he had never wanted to be one, and he was tortured daily by his father, until he had finally caved in and joined the awful cult. She couldn't imagine having to live his previous life. She really should try to be more understanding- its jus that he aggravated her to no extent.

As she grabbed for the soap, she thought about the way he had thrown his body over her to protect her, and how he said that he couldn't resist her. The image of her wrapping herself around him on the bed earlier entered her mind, adn she relived the feeling of his lips on hers, his tongue tasting hers. How his strong arms had held her body against his, and how his muscular leg had been able to slide between hers. Flashing her eyes open, she realized she was breathing heavily- aroused by the mere memory of a make-out session with Malfoy. _A damned hot make-out session. _She reminded herself.

A knot of desire hung over her, and before she had time to regret it, she placed her hands over her breasts, caressing her curves as she let out a breathy moan; her body strung out with sexual tension. She focused her mind on the image of Draco clad only in his boxers, leaning above her. _He smirks softly, whispering her name as he presses his lips to hers in a deep, ravenous kiss. As his tongue forces her lips open, his hand lowers slowly, tracing over the waistband of her pants. Dominating his tongue against hers, Hermione arched against him, silently begging him to continue his way down her body. As if reading her mind, he easily tugs down her pants, tossing them quickly to the floor, before stripping off her shirt. His lips lowered, trailing a path of fierce open-mouthed kisses to her covered breasts. With an easy movement of his fingers, the bra was across the room, and his mouth was on her nipple; using his expert tongue to tease. As his tongue swirled over her erect nipples, moving from breast to breast; nipping at them, his hand found its way to her arse. _A loud cracking noise followed by extreme cussing woke her from her arousing fantasy.

Hermione opened her eyes to find a surprised Draco in front of her; unabashedly looking over her body; her face flushed from arousal, and desire. "W-What the hell Malfoy? Did you break the door? Why?" Her voice was breathy from her desire as she tried to hide herself. "What made you think breaking in on me in the shower was a good idea?"

Slowly as his eyes made their way up her body; meeting hers in an utterly surprised, yet amused stare. He stared at her for what felt like an eternity, making her knees weak as he stepped in, under the spray of water still clothes, his voice a husky growl. "I heard you calling my name... I thought you needed my help. But I didn't expect to help you like this..." He paused a moment, making his intentions clear as he stared at her, waiting for her to pull away. She stared up at him, knowing she should pull away, but her body craved his touch. _Hell, she needed his touch._

Without any more hesitation Hermione leaned up, pulling Draco's mouth against her, moaning as his strong arms wrapped around her naked body.

**Thank you all so much for the follows, and please review. If you have any suggestions, or recommendations, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm new to this whole business, and don't know if I'm doing good or not. Hope you enjoy my story so far... xxx Warning: Smut in the next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

The only thought that was running through Draco Malfoy's mind was that Hermione Granger was not pushing him away, even though he had made his intentions utterly clear. At first he had honestly thought that perhaps she needed his help with something in the washroom- why else would she be saying his name after they had just had a fight? Once he had gotten to the door of the washroom it was obvious that she was saying his name while preoccupied to say the least. He had stood outside the door for a long moment listening to his name escape her lips. After an intense moment of contemplation he broke down the door- what else was he supposed to do? He had wanted this girl for as long as he could recall, and he admitted, he still wanted more after their steamy make-out session not an hour before.

Growling lightly in the back of his throat, he pressed her up against the shower wall. He was able to feel her firm breasts rubbing against his chest as his hands slid over her soapy body. His lips ravaged hers forcefully- pressing against each other's in a frenzy of heat and desire as her fingers twisted in his hair, pulling his face closer to her. All of the gentleness of their last escapade was gone as hunger for one another consumed both of them. Instead of playful nipping, Hermione grazed her teeth over his top lip, before biting down. With a groan his tongue fought back in a fit of dominance; pressing against her lips until she parted them willingly. Her hands moved from his silky hair to his muscular back; falling lower over his body like the droplets of water from the shower. His hands slid over her body, caressing her every curve, before they trailed over her thighs. A moan of complete wanton yearning fell off of Hermione's lips as she let her fingertips graze the top of Draco's soaked boxers, deliberately pushing them off of his hips, until Draco was just as naked as she was.

Hermione could feel his arousal against her hip, and she purposefully pressed against it, shimmying herself until a coarse groan sounded from Draco. Draco stared at the girl in front of him with wide eyes as she pressed herself against him. He had never imagined Hermione to be quite so frivolous; having always imagined her as shy and meek in the bed. Her eyes met his as a soft smirk played over the contours of her lips. He could feel her gentle touch trailing over his chest, until her fingers were lightly tracing over his erection. The passion burning in her eyes was just as much of a turn-on as her soft caresses were, and he uttered a soft moan. Leaning down he pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. His palms slid from her thighs to her chest, where he avidly cupped her breasts, using his thumbs to trace over her nipples. He pinched them lightly before replacing his hands with his lips. A surprised moan escaped Hermione as he lightly flicked his tongue over her hardening nipples. In return the brown haired girl started to roll her hips against his; brushing against his aroused member.

"Hermione…" The man growled as he pulled away from her breasts; staring at her in unabashed lust. His hands moved down her body, over her thighs, until he found her center. She stared at him with her wide hazelnut eyes as he used his thumb to lightly brush against her clit. Her head rested against the shower wall as he continued to rub against her, slowly pressing one of his long fingers into her. Her hips bucked against it, and he smirked at how wet and ready she already seemed to be for him. Hermione swivelled her hips against Draco's expert fingers as he added another one, scissoring them gently to ready Hermione for his width. With her small noises of pleasure filling the room, Draco's member throbbed as he became even more aroused. Finally he removed his fingers, causing Hermione's eyes to flash open in disappointment, before she pulled him tight to her.

"Malfoy, I want you… I need you." Her plea comes out as a breathy moan; her eyes pleading with him to take her. She pulled his lips to hers once again in a frenzied kiss, almost tugging his blonde hair in her passion. With aa low growl, Draco lifted her against the wall using her upper thighs to pick her up. In return Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding herself against his thick length. Watching her closely, he rubbed his member against her, able to see her eyes smoulder in complete desire. "Malfoy!" She hissed.

With a smirk, he kissed her deeply as he shifted between her legs. A small moan escaped from Hermione, Draco pushed himself into her tight heat, her hands splayed on her hips as he held her. AS she adjusted to his length, he pulled out slightly, and thrust back in; creating a quick, fast pace. Hermione leaned back, breathy moans leaving her lips as her hips met Draco thrust for thrust. His huge member filled her in a way Ron Weasley, among her other lovers never could. Their bodies moved together perfectly, every movement pressing against her G-spot, causing her to feel her muscles tightening. With their moans and groans filling the room, Hermione's fingers dig into Malfoys back. Her back arched and her release streamed through her with a breathy sigh that Draco silenced by a kiss. A fierce, hard kiss that matched the new, rougher pace that Draco started. His hips pressed against hers as his urgency grew; thrusting even harder into her heat. After a long moment Hermione felt his climax unravel in her, his movements slowing and stilling.

Wrapped around each other the two tried to catch their breath; Hermione's face nestled against Draco's neck. Gently, Draco pulled out of her, slowly pulling away, until he was once again under the direct line of the shower. Hot water poured over him as his eyes stared at Granger; completely awe-struck at what happened.

Hermione flushed under his intense gaze; lightly using her arms to cover herself up. They had just had sex, yet he still managed to make her feel shy and incompetent. She could feel her wet hair sticking to her face and shoulders as she cleared her throat lightly, trying to think of something to say. Before she could open her mouth, Draco interrupted her thoughts.

"Holy hell, you've been holding out on me." His voice was strangely rugged and hoarse as his intense grey eyes stared at her. "That was nothing like I imagined it being like." His blonde hair was sticking straight up in some places and his lips were slightly swollen from where she had bitten them.

"I- I had better… I should go pack." Hermione tried to walk around Draco, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her under the spray with him. His strong hands were suddenly massaging soap over her back and stomach, while his lips pressed lightly below her ear.

"You're not still leaving are you? I don't want you to go back there. It's dangerous, especially now that you helped Maria and I escape. They may think you are on our side, trying to double-cross them." His hands gently massage her shoulders, and she relaxed against him, thinking about what he said. It was true- this would look bad if what Draco had told her earlier was true. Besides… Did she really want to go? Here she was, in a shower, utterly relaxed with one of her most trusted colleagues. _Most trusted? _With a small shake of her head she reprimanded herself. She couldn't afford to trust him, but until she figured out what to do, she could stay with him. It only made sense. In addition- she could really get used to massages like this.

Her voice came out almost normal, albeit a bit husky as she murmured, "Alright, I'll stay with you… Only on one condition, though." When he raised an eyebrow at her, she hurried on to clear up any strange ideas he may get. "Nothing sexual, I promise. I was thinking that you ought to tell me what exactly is going on… What precisely is your mission?"

His hands stilled for a moment, before he sighed, and took the soap from Hermione's hands. He began to lather it over his own body, as his expression darkened slightly. After a slow moment he nodded and met her gaze. "Alright. But not yet."

She searched his expression, before grinning. "Thank you." With a chaste kiss, Hermione left him alone in the shower, grabbing a robe off the wall. She pulled it on, before carefully walking around the destroyed door. In a much better mood then she had been in for weeks, Hermione found herself tidying up the small room, pausing in confusion when she heard a phone ring. Walking to the hotel phone, Hermione picked it up skeptically.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Draco there please?" The voice was girly, and high pitched, almost seeming flirty_. A booty call?_

"He's busy." Hermione couldn't help the ice that entered her voice.

"Well, will you tell him that I called?" The strange woman questioned.

"I would if I knew who this was… And how did you know where he was staying?" Hermione's good mood was almost gone as she listened to this airy voice. _Why did Draco have to be such a ladies man?_ Hermione knew that in Hogwarts Draco had his fair share of affairs, and even afterwards he still got around. She was embarrassed to admit that she had hoped that he had stopped since after he had abandoned her, and started this mission. _Godric, what was wrong with her? Did she really think that she wouldn't be just another girl in the long line of woman Draco would fuck?_

"Oh, I'm so sorry… I don't know what I was thinking. Maria told me where I could get a hold of Draco." The voice brought Hermione back to reality, with a shock, "I'm his fiancé."

Hermione dropped the phone with a shock as she comprehended what the woman had said. _Fiancé. _The color left her face, and she thought she might be sick as she stood up, her hand on her forehead. Just as she picked the phone back up, Draco walked in the room, a towel wrapped around his waist. His expression turned to concern when he saw how pale Hermione looked.

"What's wrong?" He stepped closer to her, but she backed up, thrusting the phone towards him. "Who is it?" His expression was utterly confused, and slightly hurt at how she had pulled away.

Her voice came out as a hiss, glaring savagely. "I think I could ask you the same question. Apparently, it's your fiancé."

**Again, thank-you for reading! Reviews are always welcome. Any concerns or ideas, just let me know! **


	5. Chapter 5

She hadn't quite believed the woman, until Draco cussed lightly, and took the phone, turning his back to Hermione. "Nicole… How are you?... I missed you too… Yes, it was really lucky... No, that was just Hermione… Yes the person who saved me… No, she's busy, perhaps you can talk to her some other time… Yes, everything is good here… I'm glad to talk to you too… I love you… Bye."

With a blank expression, Draco turned back to look at Hermione, alarmed when he saw what she was doing. "What the fuck are you doing?" He grabbed her arm, and she pulled away as if he had pulled a knife on her.

"I'm packing. I thought it was pretty obvious the way I'm gathering all of my things." The sarcasm in her voice was undeniable as she glared up at him. Without another word she pulled on her clothes, tossing the robe onto the ground. _Do not cry. Whatever you do, do not let him see you cry. _

"You don't understand, Hermione." Draco's voice turned petulant as he stared at her.

"No, I guess I don't understand… This is how I see it: We just had sex, and you didn't mention having a girlfriend, let alone a fiancé! What am I missing…Oh yeah, how about the fact that you're a complete asshole!" Her hair was tangled, and she angrily tried to comb her fingers through it, in a vain attempt to tame it. Giving up on her hair, she sighed angrily and looked around the room trying to think of how she could get back to her hotel room to retrieve her wand.

"You're not even going to let me explain myself? How typical, Granger… Jumping to conclusions, just like always. I don't understand you at all." Draco's voice had turned angry, as he glowered menacingly at Hermione, crossing his arms over his well-defined chest and abs. _Focus, _Granger reminded herself as she pushed away the images of his chest pressed against hers, _he has a damned fiancé. _

"I don't think that this is jumping to conclusions, Malfoy. I was talking with your fiancé on the phone, therefore, my concerns are legitimate, and I reckon my reasons behind not letting you explain yourself are very reasonable." Hermione's voice started to become high-pitched, and she spoke very quickly, becoming frustrated.

"Pray tell me, Granger," Draco's voice was snarky, and showed obvious traces of intense aggravation, "What are your reasons for not letting me explain myself?"

Her brown eyes flashed lightly as she glanced at him, her hands resting on her hips in a gesture of resentment. "What are my reasons? Well, to start off with you mislead me- majorly. Just when I almost start to trust you again, this happens… Why wouldn't you tell me you were going to get married? You just cheated, and you don't even seem to be upset about it! What you just did is wretched, and I know because I've been cheated on." Her voice catches as she recalls the image of walking in on Ron's body twisted around Lavenders. How he had stammered numerous apologies, but later informed her that he had been cheating on her for almost six months. Hermione had spiraled into depression afterwards- ironically though she had been consoled by her partner at the time, Draco Malfoy. "You know how I feel about cheating… I… I have to go."

Just as tears started to form in her hazel eyes, Draco took a step towards her, his expression full of compassion. "This is different, Hermione. I know what you went through, but this isn't anything like what Ron did to you." He lightly touched his fingers to her cheek, watching her. He was too focused on her expression to notice her hand whip around and wallop him across the face.

Her eyes were slits of malice, and her jaw was clenched in fury. "Don't you ever touch me again! The only difference that I notice is that instead of walking in on us, she still has no idea."

"I'm not actually with her!" Draco exploded his face red from the slap.

Skeptical, Hermione's eyes whipped to Draco's. "What do you mean? How can you not actually be with her?" Hope blossomed within Hermione- though she would never admit it. Lightly, trying to be discreet about it, she wiped her eyes, trying to hide the fact that he had made her cry.

Draco glowered lightly; guilt and frustration clear in his tense expression. Faltering slightly, he ran his fingers through his hair, growling lowly in hindrance. "Well…" He cleared his throat, looking past Hermione's shoulder as he spoke, "What I meant is that I have no intentions of marrying her. It's all a part of the mission. Nicole's father is the head of the organization that supports the Institute. I had to date her in order to gain information, allowing for Tim O'Neill – her father to trust me. Nicole is an obsessive, egotistical woman who insisted I needed to commit to her before she would allow for me to move in with her- which is also only for specific spying purposes. I never intended to hurt you, nor would I ever involve you in a cheating tryst, especially not after the Weasley incident. I know how much you were affected by him and his actions… You have to trust me, Hermione. I would never do that to you." He finally returned his focus to Hermione, and was shocked to see tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. She was staring at him, with her mouth opened lightly as if in shock at his words.

Stammering lightly, Hermione swallowed slowly, and took a deep breath before muttering. "You live with her? Yet you have no intentions of marrying her? And you still didn't think that it would be of any significance to tell me this before you fucked me? Did you think that just because you're using her that I wouldn't care that you're engaged? If anything I feel even shoddier now. Not only are you going to ruin this woman's life by deceiving her and taking down her father, but you're going to break her heart. Even if she is obsessive, and narcissistic, I'm sure she truly loves you, and that's why she wanted to be engaged. I thought I knew you better than this… I thought that maybe you had changed since school. I guess I was severely mistaken."

She sniffed back a sob delicately, before shaking her head, and skirting around him in order to get closer to the door. Hesitantly she walked to the door, her shoulders shaking lightly as she tried to suppress both the anger and utter desolation she felt.

"Maria gave me your wand and your belongings from your safe-house. You have nowhere else to go… Please, don't leave. You aren't safe if you go." Draco's voice was low, and quiet, as if he was afraid of upsetting Hermione any further.

Turning quickly, she stared at him in loathing. "You had my wand and didn't tell me? You complete arse, Malfoy! Give me my things!" Swiftly, she walked up to him, holding her hand out expectantly.

"Arse? So, you're back to not cussing, Hermione?" Draco smirked lightly, arching an eyebrow slightly.

"Do not joke around about this, Malfoy. Now give me my possessions." Hermione snarled her eyes bright with anger and unshed tears. "This is not funny."

"What are you going to do if I don't give them back?" Draco crossed his arms over his bare chest again, taunting Hermione in an effort to make her stay at least a little longer.

Without a second thought, Hermione shifted, kicking her leg up through the air aiming straight for Draco's face. With no hesitation, Draco grabbed her leg, twisting it in the air; causing her to stumble. Before she fell though, he caught her, holding her in his arms tightly. "I hoped that this would be your answer." He muttered with a smirk; their faces inches apart.

"Damn you." She hissed, using him as leverage; bringing her knee up hard, hitting him in the crotch. With a loud groan of barely concealed pain, he let go of her, dropping to his knees. Without a second thought, Hermione brought her fist back, before hitting him square in the face. Soundlessly he dropped to the floor, utterly unconscious with small droplets of blood staining the carpet. Guilt rushed through Hermione, but she shrugged it off, before searching for her belongings. After a few minutes, she pulled her bag out from beneath the bed, quickly changing into old worn trousers and a jumper.

Groaning she looked around the room, knowing that she really had no other choice than to stay. _Unless, I can get my own room in this hotel… That way I won't have to stay with him. _Hermione glanced at Draco's limp body, her eyes lingering for a moment over his chest, and abs. _And I won't want to jump his bones ever single minute… Even though he's a complete tool I can't stop thinking about him and his body… and what his body can do. _With a shake of her head, she cursed herself and grabbed her things, searching for her wand. With a grin, she grabbed it, and summoned her wallet silently. Leaving an unconscious Draco, she left the messy room to book her own suite, away from the blonde man.


	6. Chapter 6

Blinking slowly; squinting against the light, Draco groaned at the dull throbbing in his head. Sitting up, he glanced around the room trying to recall what had exactly happened. _Nicole called. _A wave of intense detestation ran through Draco as he thought about his fiancé. Nicole was a handful, for sure... Not just talking about her breasts either. She was always snooping around, trying to get Draco to settle down, marry her and have a family. Not only was her father the biggest scoundrel in the Wizarding World, but he also spoiled his daughter rotten. Nicole was so used to getting every little thing she wanted, that when something went even slightly awry in her plans she through a fit. Not just a small break-down, but a full-blown tantrum, with screaming and sobbing. It was absolutely atrocious. And unlike Hermione, Nicole was obsessed with her appearance, going to such lengths as to get muggle surgeries to modify her facial features. Her blonde hair was constantly being coloured to create the effect of a platinum-blonde look. With a shake of his head, Draco winced and shakily got to his feet.

Moving hesitantly he walked towards the bedside table, opening it to find his was resting above a leather bound book. Quickly he reached for his wand. Tiredly, he looked around the room, and let out a soft sigh. "Mobiliarbus" He whispered frivolously, beginning to rearrange the room. As he moved furniture around, he suddenly remembered about Hermione... _Where in the bloody hell was she? _Hurriedly, he jumped to his feet, searching the entire room, before entering the bathroom. With a small grimace, he pointed his wand at the splintered door. "Repairo"

As the door slowly began to fix itself, Draco raced out of the hotel room, and down the three flights of stairs. At the lobby he swiftly glimpsed around, before walking up to the front desk. The small red head behind the desk looked up at him, before flushing profusely. Her eyes quickly leapt from him down to a note pad in front of her. _Do I have something on me? _Draco frowned, looking down at himself, before realizing he was clad only in boxers. _Shit. I don't have time for this. _

Clearing his throat, he flashed his most charming smile at the delicate girl, "I'm sorry for my appearance, but I'm kind of in a hurry... Have you seen or talked to a girl with brown hair? About... Five foot eight? She was probably in a very bad mood...'

The girl looked back up at him, and bit down on her bottom lip. _Was she fluttering her eyelashes at him? _When he arched an eyebrow, she seemed to blink, and clear her throat; obviously having been deep in thought. "I'm sorry, sir, I'm not allowed to give out any records or information on our other guests at the hotel. Perhaps after hours I could indulge information to you, but until then it could create drastic repercussions for me. Again, I'm sorry for any inconvenience."

This time he was certain that she was fluttering her eyelashes, and he glowered menacingly at her. "How old are you? Honestly..." He bit back another angry retort, and took a calming breath. "Alright, so you just admitted that she is still staying in this hotel? Did she book another room?" Hope flourished in him, and he smirked at the young girl, who was pouting up at him.

"I... I didn't..." She blew air out her mouth in exasperation, before crossing her arms. "I'm nineteen, thank you very much."

"Well, you look like you're fourteen, besides I already have a girlfriend." He murmured without thinking, searching the desk for any sort of clues as to where Hermione was staying.

The red head glared lightly, her eyelashes heavily clad with mascara. "Is your girlfriend the brown haired girl you're looking for? Because obviously your relationship isn't working if you need to resort to stalking in order to find her. Honestly, why don't you just try to call her instead of chasing her around everywhere? And for the record... If I were you I'd let her have a night to get over whatever you two are fighting about. I'd be glad to keep you company though, just so you won't get lonely." The unrelenting girl leaned against the counter, causing her cleavage to become very prominent. As she spoke, she was curling her hair around her fingers, licking her lower lip in what Draco thought to be a somewhat repulsive way.

"No. I do not want, nor need your company. What I need is a room number for -" He was cut off as his arm was jerked backwards by someone. "What the fuck?' He turned around, absolutely seething before realizing Hermione was standing behind him, her eyes carefully avoiding his.

"I have something you ought to see." Her voice was curt, and monotone, as she turned on her heel, walking up to the elevator, and pressing the button. As the doors opened, she did not turn around to see if he had followed, instead she pressed a button for the third floor.

Rushing, Draco stepped in to the elevator, and frowned deeply at her. "I was looking everywhere for you! What in the hell did you think you were going to get out of hiding from me?"

Her expression wavered slightly, before returning to a blank stare. "It wasn't what I was going to _get... _It was what I was going to _get rid of_. The constant headache you seem to give me." Her voice was clipped, and she stepped around him just as the doors opened, walking down the corridor quickly, before stopping at Draco's hotel room.

"I thought you had something to show me? Aren't we going to your room?" He asked, glowering as she easily unlocked his room door with her wand.

"Of course not. Do you really think I'm that daft? I'm not letting you know which room is mine, because I know you'll just stand there and provide me with ludicrously pathetic excuses as to why you aren't actually the arse that you are. Now stop talking and sit down." Her voice was authoritative, and her eyes were still icy with compressed antagonism. Without another word, Draco sat down, his face surly and petulant as her scowled up at her, his arms crossed.

Rolling her eyes, she walked over to a pile of belongings, pulling out a shirt, and trousers. Tossing them to him, exasperation flickered over her features. "For Godric's sake, get dressed." As he slowly pulled on the garments, Hermione, looked around the room; astounded to find the area decent. _He must had cleaned up after I left... _With a sigh, Hermione turned back to the blonde haired man who was able to make her more infuriated than any other person. 

"Let me begin with this: I would not be here right now, if there was any other person who I could actually somewhat trust. I'm not saying I trust you, but I have no one else right now to tell this to. Excluding Harry, for I don't want to encumber him with it, particularly right now, because he just got blissfully engaged." This sentence came out with a glower from Hermione, and she paused as she tried to focus again. "Also, you most likely already know what this letter pertains to, and you can also enlighten me on the circumstances surrounding it. Now, I know this because you were already talking about this information earlier. In fact, you even said that you were searching the Jones manor for this letter. However, you did not retrieve it. Now, I want you to exp[lain why you were looking for it, and why it is important to you, before I will let you read it."

Draco sat stunned as Hermione talked. It was as if she was on an auto-pilot of some sort. Her monotonous voice thoroughly freaked him out, as did the way she stood straight, and did not make eye contact at all. It was as if she was trying her damndest not to show him how peeved she was at him. In a way, he was almost flattered that she had come to him for help. Finally after a moment of silence, Draco smirked. "Fine. Rolt Jones is a very important partner with Malakinn- Nicole's father. When I was having dinner with Nicole and her father, I overheard him when he left the room on his phone. He mentioned something about having important documents that Rolt was supposed to keep in his safe. Therefore I knew that the documents had to have something to do with the Institute. I hoped that these particular papers outlined the plans for their next hit. Who exactly they would frame and prosecute in the place of an actual dark wizard, and how they would frame them..." Draco trailed off, staring up at Hermione, who was absent-mindedly playing with her curls.

With a nervous smirk, she finally met Draco's eyes, and muttered quietly. "Either you're really good at guessing, or you did your homework on this assignment for one. Because the documents are outlines of their next target... It gives no information on who they are framing him for. Its mainly just a character portfolio. And I want you to help me to protect him." Her stare was intense, and her breath was coming out unevenly, as if she was about to burst into hysterics.

Draco slowly stood up, walking towards her with a cautious movement. "Who is it?" A few people came to mind: _Neville, Dean, Harry, Viktor Krum._ His hand reached towards her for the document. He noticed with surprise that her hands were shaking as she clutched the paper. Finally she nodded, and handed them over, her wide, hazel eyes focused on his expression as he read over the sheet. In surprise he had to re-read the first line almost ten times before he finally realized what he was staring at.

**_Ronald Bilius Weasley. _**

**_Blood Status: Pure-Blood._**

**_Marital Status: Single._**

**_Occupation: Ministry of Magic, Department of Mystery._**

**_Hobbies: Gambling and Drinking. Seen at many taverns._**

**_Outcomes: Not many close friends, therefore it will be less likely to be fought. Harry Potter is known to associate with him at times, therefore it would be best to gain numerous amounts of evidence. _**

**_Evidence required (Preferably) : Blood samples, hair and skin samples. miscellaneous materials such as clothes and/or important objects._**

**_Explanations: Drunken stupor- He may not have remembered his crime. Hit him with a memory-loss charm, and create the effect to last longer. He is known for becoming a violent drunk, as reported by his former fiancé Hermione Granger. _**

**_Note: Hermione Granger is a member of the 'Institute' and will not have any part in the arrest, nor in the proceedings within court. _**

It took Draco a few long moments to process what he had read, so Hermione fidgeted lightly as she watched him. Her heart hammered in worry and dread; expecting Draco to just scoff at her. To her surprise Draco looked up at her for a long, silent moment.

He runs his hand through his hair, before finally rubbing his face in exhaustion. "Of course it would be Ronald Weasley. Why do you even care if he gets prosecuted... It even says in this report that he abused you." He glanced up at Hermione, his face screwed in almost a scowl. "Do you still love him?"

"Why do I care? He's one of my best friends, Draco... It doesn't matter what he may or may not had done in our relationship, he will always have a special place in my heart. I will never abandon him, especially not in a case like this!" Her cheeks were flushed as she stared at Draco.

"Do. You. Love. Him?" Draco hissed again, jealousy pooling throughout him.

"I don't see how that would influence your choice to help me or not, Malfoy. Nor do I understand how that would be any of your business." Hermione stared down at her hands; lightly interlacing her fingers.

"I just want to know." Draco stepped closer to Hermione, causing her to look up at him.

"No. I do not love him. What he did was unforgivable, but that doesn't mean I don't want to protect him. He is one of my closest childhood friends, and I would never be able to forgive myself if I didn't help him." She whispered, her voice cracking lightly.

"Good" Draco smiled widely, his fierce jealousy ebbing away as she explained herself. When she finally met his gaze again, Draco lightly wiggled his eyebrows. "Of course I'll help you."

Her eyebrows pulled down as she frowned, and she bit down on her lip. "If I had admitted to still being in love with him, would you have helped me?"

Draco paused lightly, before wincing, and clenching his jaw. He contemplated lying, before letting out a small sigh, and shaking his head. "No... I probably wouldn't had helped you, unless I could had found a way to make it ultimately help me as well."

Hermione cocked her head to the side, all traces of anger from earlier gone from her puzzled expression. Pursing her lips she stared at him in confusion. "Why does my feelings with Ron have anything to do with you helping me or not?"

Draco stared at her, and muttered a whispered, "Fuck." As he tried to come up with a suitable answer that did not pertain to the truth that Draco didn't want Hermione to be interested in anybody other than him. The mere thought of Hermione loving Ron made Draco want to kill the other man. "Well, you see... I..."

Hermione stepped closer to him, trying to intimidate the answer out of him. Instead, the opposite occurred, and Draco trailed off, getting captivated by their close proximity and the scent of her shampoo. Slowly he leaned towards her, pulling her tight to his chest as his lips pressed against hers. He kissed her lightly; almost just a brush of the lips before she pushed him away, her hands splayed on his chest. Groaning in exasperation, Draco looked up at her expecting to see her glaring, and about to kill him. Instead she was smirking.

Hermione took a step backwards, and crossed her arms, muttering quietly. "So... That's why my feelings regarding Ron mattered." A cocky, almost arrogant grin decorated her face as she looked up at Malfoy.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione groaned lightly, rolling her eyes as she sprawled across the bed. Staring up at the ceiling she wrinkled her nose in frustration. "No, I think that we ought to go to Ron in order to protect him. Therefore, if we are with him, they will not be able to gather any evidence against him! It only makes sense..." She sat back up; her brown hair loose, and dishevelled in a muddle around her face.

"No. You don't seem to understand that if they have already targeted him, then he will be on their focus at all times. If we go anywhere near him, then we will be recognized, without a doubt." Draco sat in the sofa across the room; glowering up at Hermione; his entire body language slumped and morose. His dark grey eyes seemed to glow as he looked around, trying to keep his focus off of the girl on the bed. _On his bed. _He shook his head to clear his thoughts from becoming any more inappropriate.

"I don't see how _your _plan would work any better. Honestly, you must think me mental if you think I'd agree to it." A small frown flickered over her lips, and she pouted at him. "Do you really want me to kill you? Because, if we end up going through with your idea, then there is a lofty likelihood that I will happily murder you."

"You'd kill me out of jealousy. I knew you were jealous before. This all makes sense now." He sat up straighter; a cocky smirk playing over his features as he arrogantly ran a hand through his hair. When Hermione shot him a scornful look, he rolled his eyes, and sighed. "Fine. But I do believe that if we go to Nicole's house then we would have a better chance to figure out what is going on. We could stay updated on information regarding Weasley and also figure out who they are going to frame Weasley in the place of. I think it's a win-win situation."

"First of all, I'm not jealous of your fiancé, at all. Why would I be envious of a girl who you probably screw around on daily?" Her voice drops an octave as cynicism drips in her mocking tone. "And secondly, how would we explain why I'm still with you?" Her posture was tense with anger at his earlier snide comment, and she stood up slowly to stretch.

Draco watched as her jumper pulled up with her arms, revealing a strip of her toned lower stomach. As she stretched further, the sweater moved higher, allowing a part of a marking to show. _Does Hermione Granger have a bloody tattoo? How in the hell had he not noticed that in the shower? _Slowly he moved closer, trying to get a better look, utterly side-tracked from her question. Cocking her head to the side, Hermione watched him, before pulling her sweater down with a scowl.

"Do you _mind? _I can see you staring at me." Her eyes narrowed, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And are you going to answer my question?" Irritation flashed in her hazel eyes, as she let out a soft yawn.

"Uhh..." Draco blinked slowly, wrinkling his nose lightly as he thought back; only remembering  
the mysterious tattoo. "What question are you referring to?"

"Do you ever listen to me?" With a huff of frustration, Hermione grabbed the pillow nearest to her, and whipped it at Malfoy as hard as she could.

Malfoy easily used his wand muttering a soft, "Impedimenta." to slow the pillow, so it fell harmlessly to the ground. "For your information, I regularly listen to you, unless there's the usual occurrence of you being utterly annoying... Or by some off chance I see you have a fucking tattoo... What is it?" He stood up walking closer to Hermione, his eyes glinting with mirth.

"It's nothing..." Hermione quickly darted under the covers of the bed, hiding her body as she stared up at the man in utter mortification. "I... I don't have a tattoo. I do not know what you're talking about."

To Hermione's surprise, and slight excitement - though she reprimanded herself fiercely about it- Draco climbed onto the large bed. Moving across it slowly, he finally stopped when he was towering above Hermione. With a grin, he straddled her waist, and Hermione flushed, even though they were still separated with the blankets and their clothes.

"I don't believe you, Granger... Maybe if you just let me have a peek at your side, then I'll know whether or not you're lying." Hermione wriggled violently in an effort to get out from beneath him, her eyes bright with suppressed laughter. "Or, you can let me find out the hard way." He watched her closely as he used one of his hands to hold her wrists above her head.

A small bubble of laughter escaped her as she squirmed lightly. "Draco... This is so inappropriate," A giggle interrupted her as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, "It's really nothing.."

Using his other hand to pull the covers down, he smirked at her with his eyebrows raised. "I highly doubt it, Granger. This seems far too important to just be nothing..." Just as his hand reached the hem of her shirt, she began to squirm more, determined not to let him see it. As he began to pull her shirt up, she did the only thing she knew would distract him. She shifted upwards, and kissed him- hard. His hand stilled immediately, and his entire body tensed before he relaxed into the kiss. He pressed his lips to hers sweetly, still holding her hands above her head. With a silent groan of frustration, Hermione deepened the kiss, trailing her tongue lightly over his bottom lip. She felt his soft growl above her as he leaned against her, parting his lips as she traced her tongue along his; slowly dancing against each others.

Just as he wrapped his one arm around her, his hold on her wrists weakened, and he moved his hand to her hair. With a flash of regret, she pushed him away, and hopped off the bed, backing up towards the door, her eyes wide. "I think we should both go to our respective beds and go to sleep... Long day tomorrow, if we really are going to go to your fiancé's house..." With a quick little smile, she darted out of the room, to her own hotel bedroom.

Draco stared at where she was standing, and let out a frustrated growl. He had almost seen her god damned tattoo, and she practically screwed him over. Not that he had minded... He just wished it would had lasted a bit longer. With a growl, he used his wand to turn off the lights, and he rolled over in the bed; still able to smell her lingering perfume. Quietly, he whispered out loud, "Damn it... That woman is going to be the death of me."

**I know- Sorry for how short the chapters are. And just so you know there WILL be future lemons, but I think that they should try to sort out the ridiculous situation they are finding themselves in... Thank you all for reading, I appreciate it immensely! For those of you who have any ideas, thoughts or concerns just message me, and I'll be glad for any feedback. Reviews are always welcome, and a large thank-you to all of those who followed and/or favourited my story so far. I hope to update again soon. XXX -Alannah **


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione closed her hotel room door, and locked it, using both the chain lock, and the knob lock. Her hair was a mess around her face, and she let out a large sigh, before slowly walking over to her belongings. Sitting down on the bed she thought about the predicament she was in. Should I stay with Draco, and go to his fiancé's house? Will I be able to handle watching Draco with her after we already had sex? He cheated on her with me... Will it really help Ron more? Or should I go to him? Help him by being there for him? Or... At least trying to be there for him. Maybe this time he will get help for his drinking? With a growl of intense frustration, Hermione punched her pillow, which made her think of how she chucked a pillow at Draco not even ten minutes ago. Why did all of her thoughts lead her back to Draco? Honestly woman, get a grip.

In an effort to stop thinking about Draco Bloody Malfoy, Hermione started to rummage through her luggage until she found the large ancient key from the safe at the Jones's manor. She slowly ran her fingers over it, and frowned deeply. For some reason Draco had thought that she had been sent to find the plans for the next hit, when really she was only supposed to get the key. When she had found the documents she took them just as collateral in case she had been caught. How did the key fit into any of this? With a large yawn, Hermione slipped the key into her pocket, and curled beneath her blankets, deciding she needed to sleep to clear her mind.

Draco glowered at his reflection in the mirror, idly scratching his scruff. He had small bruises beneath his eyes from lack of sleep, and he kept looking over at the alarm clock, 9:15 a.m. Where in the hell was Granger? For as long as he had worked with Granger, she had been an eerily chipper morning person; always awake and ready to work by dawn. With a growl of annoyance, Draco began pacing; thoroughly upset with Hermione. As he glanced at the door, his hotel phone rang; the shrill noise making him jump, and cuss fiercely. With a tired scowl Draco walked over to the receiver, yanking it off of the table.

"Hello?" He grumbled, still staring at the alarm clock that now read, 9:17a.m.

"Are you coming down for breakfast? Or do I have to come retrieve you from your room? I've been waiting for you, for the last half an hour. You had better hurry up, Malfoy, or I'm going to leave without you." Hermione's voice was as sprightly as ever, sounding wide awake. With a 'click' Draco realized that she had hung up on him. Fuck, today is going to be awful. Draco reflected with a glare as he grabbed a jacket, and left the room.

As he meandered down the corridor to the stairwell he imagined having Hermione and Nicole in the same room, before smirking. They were complete opposites. The more he thought about it the more hilarious the scenario seemed. There would be Hermione, all studious and bad-ass, and Nicole, all plastic and boring. Although, Nicole was pretty good in bed… Draco thought to himself, which brought back imaged of him holding Hermione against the shower wall. Dear God, would he ever be able to think of anything without it reminding him of her? When he finally entered the small café within the hotel, he saw Hermione right away. Her hair was somehow tamed into a long braid down her back and she was… Who in the hell is she talking to? Jealousy flared in Draco as he strode towards her, a deep scowl over his features when he reached her. She didn't notice him at first; too busy talking with an Italian looking man.

"Did you really say that to her?" Hermione giggled lightly, and Draco's scowl deepened. He had never heard her sound so… Adorable.

"It was either tell her that her skirt was in her knickers, or compliment her legs. I thought complimenting her would make her feel less affronted, but I guess not." The strange man smiled down at Hermione, clearly enjoying her attention. He had a very prominent accent, and Draco hated him instantly. Before Hermione could continue her chat with the hideous, foul git, Draco lightly placed his hand on her lower back.

"Good morning, darling." Draco whispers lightly, feeling her shiver lightly at his touch. He watches Hermione smile at the Italian, and wave her fingers lightly.

"It seems I have to go… It was a pleasure to meet you, Ivan. I hope to see you again sometime." She blushes lightly when he kisses her hand, and Draco pulls her away from him hurriedly, steering them towards a table. When they sit down, Draco glares fiercely at her, and she frowns. "What was that about, Malfoy?"

"Do you even know him? Did you even think for a minute that perhaps he's in league with the Institute, and he now knows where you are,? And did it even occur to you to come get me in my room?" Draco's voice was low and harsh as he scowled at the brown-eyed girl across from him.

Hermione just stared at him, raising her eyebrow slightly. "Do you honestly think you have any right to lecture me right now? You're lucky I didn't slap you when you pulled me over here like I was your girlfriend… Holding onto my waist like that. Get a grip, Malfoy. Honestly, just for a minute how about you remember the fact you're engaged to be married." She rolled her eyes at him, before smiling as a waiter walked up. "I'd like two eggs- sunnyside up, with ham and toast. He would like your waffles, with extra strawberries, please. And two green teas as well. Thank you." She handed the waiter the menu's that she hadn't even opened.

"You remembered what I eat for breakfast?" Draco was flabbergasted, and felt guiltier than ever. He had left this girl, his partner, for over a year without a word. She should hate him.

"Of course I remembered. I used to know you like the back of my hand." She mutters, staring off to the side, a small frown covering her features. She then sighed, and stayed silent for the rest of the meal, before going to get ready to go to Draco's house to meet his fiancé.

Hermione stared up at the gigantic house in front of her, trying to get rid of the faint feeling of nausea that came with apparating. Squinting from the sun, she sized up the mansion, and its large lawn, wondering why in the world you would ever want a house that big. What would you do with it, other than spend every other day dusting.. Play hide-and-seek?

Draco noticed that Hermione had an intense look on her face, and he thought that perhaps she was deep in contemplation about what was going to happen when they got inside. He gave her a moment to think, before lightly nudging her, causing her to jump. "We should probably be on our way inside, now."

She nodded mutely, still angry with Malfoy for being such a twat. As they got closer, Hermione became more and more agitated, feeling all sorts of guilty. She had no doubt in her mind that if anyone so much as said 'hello' to her, she would end up yelling out that she had sex with Draco. Nervously she began to bite her lip, and slowly clench and unclench her fists. When she came to the massive oak door she let out a small breath; thinking that she could have a moment to regain her composure before they were to entire the massive home. Much to her despair, Draco walked right in without knocking. Well, obviously… He does live here after all. With his future wife, and father-in-law. Godric, Hermione. Stop feeling so sorry for yourself. Folowing close behind Draco, Hermione looked at the massive paintings that covered the inside walls of the palace. A rich cinnamon smell filled her nostrils, and she wrinkled her nose lightly at the stagnant odour. A large shriek made Hermione jump yet again, letting out a soft squeal of her own at the noise.

A woman a few years younger than Hermione whizzed past her, flying into Draco's arms with a delighted yip. Hermione stared slack-jawed as this blonde kissed him fiercely, with total abandon in front of her. After a few awkward moments, the two pulled away from each other, and the blonde clung to his side. Kind of like a pet… Or a dog. Bitch. Hermione thought savagely, trying her hardest not to glare at the pathetic woman in front of her. Lightly clearing her throat, Hermione smiled forcefully.

"You must be Nicole. I've heard so much about you from Draco. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Hermione swallowed back her resentment, and took a good look at the platinum blonde woman. She wasn't as young as she had first seemed, instead Hermione decided her to be in her mid-twenties, like she was herself. Her face was tanned- but obviously a fake tan, because there was a faint orangey glow to it. Her nose was thin, and her cheekbones were prominent as she smiled.

"Yes, I'm Nicole… Who might you be?" Her eyebrow rose, and she looked up at Draco, as if waiting for him to answer her.

"I'm Hermione Granger… We spoke on the phone for a short while…" Hermione wrinkled her nose at how pathetic this woman seemed.

"Of course…" Nicole turned to Draco again, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you so much…" She murmured quietly, as if Hermione wasn't there.

"I missed you too, love. But I do have to go away for work. We talked about this." Draco leaned down to briefly kiss her, and Hermione closed her eyes; taking a breath to calm herself.

"I know… But a woman has needs. I have needs." Nicole whispered, leaning up to Draco's ear, lightly nipping at it. This was a terrible idea to come here. Honestly, I could still be at that hotel, shagging that Italian if it weren't for Draco. Hermione cleared her throat, and Nicole just looked at her, still hanging off of Draco. "Yes?"

"I… Um… I was wondering if perhaps I could stay here for a few nights, just to get myself organized. Is that alright?"

With a delicate roll of her eyes, Nicole unravelled herself from Draco and nodded lightly. "Of course. I'll show you where you can sleep." With a small smile Nicole picked up Hermione's bags and promptly handed them to Hermione. "The maid and butler both have today off, so you'll have to take care of your own bags." She then waltzed down a corridor, leaving Hermione to chase after her, completely lost.

**Just a warning, the next chapter will have Nicole/Draco lemons, and smut. Just as a pre-warning. And as a reminder- I love reviews and follows! Thank-you for all of your support. Any ideas just let me know… xxx- Alannah.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I just wanted to say thanks again, and I want you to know your reviews are not going unnoticed.**

**So, for potterhead27, I thoroughly appreciate how you have been reviewing since the beginning! Thanks so much. XXX**

**And to Sinfull-Innocence- Thank you too, and I completely agree that Draco is a complete arse. I'm hoping to cause a bit more tension before Draco realizes what a complete and utter scoundrel he is. XXX**

**Now- back to the story.:) Hope you enjoy it. **

Hermione looked around the large bedroom, feeling utterly out of place among the embellished surroundings. With a frown of frustration she slowly got out of the bed, and walked into the adjoining bathroom. With a sigh she slowly turned on the faucet, causing the shower to spurt out warm streams of warm water. Stripping out of her ratty pajamas, she carefully stepped under the water, closing her eyes as she tilted her head back. It had been three days since her and Draco had apparated to the mansion, and still nothing was being done for Ron. _Three utterly miserable days. _Hermione reminded herself, silently beginning to wash her hair. After she scrubbed her body, she stepped out of the small enclosure, using her wand to cast a drying spell on both her hair and her body.

Glancing into the mirror she was greeted with her small reflection. Stepping closer she noticed how her hair was now smooth and silky due to the expensive shampoo she had borrowed. Her wide brown eyes were surrounded by thick eyelashes, and her nose was a small, delicate thing. With a sigh she mentally compared herself to Nicole. Her hair was a mousy brown, whereas Nicole's was a sleek blonde, her face wasn't as elegant as Nicole's, he cheekbones not as pronounced, and her lips not highlighted with lipstick.

With a scowl Hermione left the washroom, pulling on a simple t-shirt, and comfortable trousers. Usually she was a morning person; loving being able to look at the rising sun, but lately she hated waking up. With a yawn, Hermione opened her door, focused on trying to find Draco and ask if he knew anything. She had hardly seen him lately, for he was always accompanied by his fiancé, or else going into meetings. Needless to say, she wasn't wanted in either of those scenarios, so she mainly sat in her designated room, and used her GPS system as a muggle internet archive. She was searching up lost artifacts and looking for the key in any place, with no luck.

Running her hand through her hair, she began down the long hallway, pausing at another hallway. She turned, and continued to walk, before finally stopping when she realized she was completely and utterly lost. She tried to think back to the other day when she had walked into their bedroom in the morning; having mistaken it for the kitchen. The duo had been curled around each other, sleeping soundly. Hermione shook her head in an effort to get the image out of it. She had turned left, then right... Then left again? With a growl, she tried to backtrack, before hearing a low rumbling noise. Curiosity filled her, and she quietly followed the noise.

Draco slowly stretched, blinking awake slowly with a yawn. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, before turning to look down at the woman pressed against his side. Lightly shifting out of her hold, Draco turned and padded softly into the washroom, where he splashed water on his face to wake him up. Drowsily he reached for his toothbrush; lathering it with paste he started to brush his teeth. As he was doing do, he remembered with a start that Hermione was still in the house somewhere. He hadn't seen her since they got here... _I wonder if she's okay. Maybe I should go show her around the house, give her a small tour._ Draco frowned at himself when he thought this, shaking his head. _Of course she wouldn't want to see the house. All she would want would be to leave, and never come back. It would be the worst idea ever. _After rinsing his mouth out with mouthwash, Draco wiped off his face, and walked back into him bedroom. He went to his dresser, and pulled out some trousers and quickly put them on. Sitting down very softly on the edge of the bed, Draco began to put his socks on, jumping slightly when he felt arms wrap around his shoulders.

Nicole leaned into Draco, lightly trailing her hands down his bare chest, her lips lightly pressing against his jaw. "Good morning, handsome." She whispered huskily, her hands skimming the top of his jeans. Draco cleared his throat lightly; trying to ignore the hands teasing him. He tried to stand up, but Nicole pulled him down onto the bed, quickly shifting so that she was straddling him. His eyes traveled over her nightwear- which happened to be a small silk top with small boy short underwear as bottoms. With a soft pout she leaned down, her cleavage pressing against his chest as she kissed him. "Draco, baby… I miss you. We haven't been together in bed for weeks. Don't you miss it too?" Her voice was lowered slightly; sultry like the gleam in her bright blue eyes.

"Erm… I do miss it, I really do… But I have the meeting to go to with your father soon, and I need a shower." Draco whispered lightly, biting down on his lip as Nicole stared down at him. He took a deep breath to hide his glower as she smirked at him.

"Daddy won't mind. Come on Draco... Don't you love me anymore?" It was obvious that she was trying to make him feel guilty, but Draco let out a sigh. He had to make sure that she believed that he loved her. With a small, fake grin, Draco leaned up and kissed her holding her body tight against his.

"Of course I love you... I just wanted to hear you beg for me." He twisted on the bed, dumping her off of him so that he was now in control. He smirked down at her; although a pit of dread formed in the pit of his stomach as he leaned down; kissing her deeply. She slowly traced down his stomach, before slipping her hands into his trousers. With a small flick of her wrist; his trousers were undone, and at his ankles, along with his boxers. With a low moan; Nicole lightly used her feet to pull them off all the way, and kick them onto the floor. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she lightly grinded against his member. As Draco lightly unclasped her bra, he pressed his lips to hers; silencing her as she mumbled a soft "I love you". Unbeknownst to the two, their bedroom door stayed slightly ajar, revealing a strip of the hallway.

Hermione paused again, feeling slightly nervous as she listened to the noise. Dread curled in the pit of her stomach as she imagined the noise coming from Malakinn's office. As she walked, she imagined walking in on him torturing someone, or even killing them. This would lead to her getting tormented as well- or killed depending on his mood. Goosebumps covered her body as she imagined the terrible scenarios, rounding a corner hesitantly. The noises had now ceased down, and she noticed a partly opened room, the door opened enough for her to peek into. With a deep breath, Hermione quietly moved to the door, glancing into it, slightly panicked. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked in, and she quickly backed away as if she had been cursed.

_How stupid am I?_ She muttered to herself; tears forming in her eyes as she tried to erase the image of Draco wrapped around that stupid slut. Hermione blanched at the mere memory, and she turned quickly, making her way through the hallways in a blur. She had no idea where she was headed, just as long as she got as far away from that cursed bedroom as possible. Tears were now streaming down her face, and she reprimanded herself thoroughly. _They are getting married, so of course they're going to have sex. Its not like he honestly liked you for Godric's sake. You were just there when he was horny. How convenient. He most likely left that door open on purpose, just so that you'd get the message that you mean nothing to him. _

Somehow, Hermione managed to get back to her room, where she frantically pulled her clothes out of the dresser, shoving them into her suitcase. Her breathing was hitched, and she knew she was going to start bawling if she didn't get out of the house soon. With one last bleary look around the room she took out a quill and a piece of parchment from her bag, jotting a quick note before apparating away; unable to stop the tears from flowing. The parchment fell from her hand when she dropped it, before apparating, slowly cascading to the floor.

_Malfoy,_

_It is frightfully obvious that I should not have come to your house. This was a mistake, and I would like to apologize profusely for even agreeing to it. I am also sorry for causing you to have to put up with me longer than was necessary. I presume that I had missed you, and did not recognize the signs that I was not wanted. I have gone to help Ron. Your help is no longer needed, nor wanted for its palpable you have other things on your plate. It is evident that I am nothing but a nuisance to you and my presence is of no use to you. As for that one night when things got out of hand, I'm quite regretful of my actions. I should had been able to control myself, but obviously I was caught up in the moment. That night never should have happened considering your engagement. Also, regarding the Institute, now that I am informed I feel as if I can handle myself. Thank you for the information you have presented me with, for it will be of use in my safety. All in all, I appreciate your hospitality, and I sincerely hope you'll be able to forgive me for my naivety, and for everything else. I wish you much luck in your marriage, and I hope you and Nicole are happy together. _

_Goodbye._

_Hermione Granger. _

_P.S- Perhaps next time when you and your fiancé are rendezvousing in bed together, close the door. Someone may inadvertently come across the sight and it would be exceptionally awkward for them. Just a suggestion. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, so for all of you who didn't want to read the last chapter- there is no actual sex scene. I just needed it as a scene to allow for Hermione to leave. Some of it I find is quite important. For those of you who say there doesn't seem to be a plot, there is a reason why there is a back button. If you don't like this story, then you don't have to read it, with all due respect. I do have a plot, and I'm obviously not going to tell you what it is, or it'd ruin it. And lastly, to all of those who are staying strong throughout this I appreciate it. This is a Dramoine story, but they need to get there. Sorry for all of you who are impatient, and don't like it. If you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it. Now, on with the story! XXX- Alannah. **

Draco slowly dried off with a towel; the bathroom steamy from his scalding shower. With a grimace, he pulled on his boxers and a pair of trousers. Running a hand through his wet hair, he looked up at the small analog clock on the wall, noting the time: 10:04 a.m. _Hermione should be awake. _Draco felt a small jolt of guilt run through him as he thought of her; as well as a small amount of longing. Although they had only been together for the last few days, he missed her company. Tugging his shirt on quickly, he left the washroom, before returning a moment later to put on cologne. After a long look at himself, he smirked lightly, deciding he looked presentable. Smoothing out his clothes, he started to walk down the hallways; knowing his way easily as he neared her room. The closer he got, the more nervous he got. There was no mistaken his intense attraction to the bushy-haired girl, but this was his house. What if he forgot where he was for even a fraction of a moment, and a servant saw him snogging Hermione? With a quick shake of the head, he decided it would be worth the trouble- he missed her.

As he approached the door, he noted with slight hesitation that it was closed. _Was Hermione still asleep? She usually never slept this late. _Pausing for a fraction of a second, he lightly knocked on the door, before cracking it open to peek in. Confusion washed over him as he glanced around the empty room. Surely this was where she had been staying, he was positive. _Unless, perhaps she had switched rooms? Though, there was no reason for her to... Where was she? _Frowning, he sauntered into the room, opening a few drawers to make sure they really were empty. With a sigh of exasperation, he looked around one more time, before deciding to look for her elsewhere. As he strode towards the door, he noticed something peeking out from beneath the bed. Stooping down, he picked it up, realizing what it was: A letter. With a look of confusion, he opened it, and scanned the first few lines, before sitting down on the bed abruptly.

_It is frightfully obvious that I should not have come to your house__**.**__ What in the hell is she referring to?_ He re-read each line numerous times, before comprehending the letter. As understanding shot through him, he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Doubling over, he felt an intense loss, and anger overwhelmed him. _How could she possibly leave without telling him in person? What kind of terrible person did that?_ After thinking about it, guilt washed over him, as he realized he had done the exact same thing to her, without even a letter to explain himself. Lowering his eyes to the letter once more, he read on. _It is evident that I am nothing but a nuisance to you and my presence is of no use to you. __Nuisance? Why would she ever think that he didn't want her? That he didn't need her? _Tears of remorse filled his eyes, as he scanned the letter, noting how formal she sounded. When he reached the end, his breath caught in his throat, and he read the last line over and over as regret poured over him. _P.S- Perhaps next time when you and your fiancé are rendezvousing in bed together, close the door. Someone may inadvertently come across the sight and it would be exceptionally awkward for them. Just a suggestion__. _

He hadn't honestly thought that hard about how much Hermione must have felt during their time together, or what she had gone through. _Imagine if you had found out that she was engaged, and imagine having to visit their house... Imagine walking in on them fucking. _Draco hated himself more in that moment, than he had ever hated himself in his life. And there were times when he loathed himself: When he tried to kill Dumbledore, when he had tried to capture the Golden Trio during the war, and how he had backed his father at first after the war. This was worse than all those times, because he had hurt Hermione. The one person who had honestly trusted him after the war. She had out away all their differences, and gave him a second chance. And when he had left her, screwing it up, she had given him a third chance. She was the one person that he could trust with his life, and he had put her through hell, making her believe that he didn't care about her, when in reality he loved her.

_Loved her? No- he... Cared deeply for her. Trusted her, and wanted her to be happy. He didn't love her per say, he just really appreciated her ingenuity, beauty and wit. He loved aspects about her personality and characterization... But he was absolutely, positively, not in love with her. _As Draco held the mental war about his feelings for the young witch he came to a conclusion. He was going to find Weasley, therefore resulting in finding her, and he was going to show her how much he loved her. _Cared for her. Not loved. Damn it. _With a growl of frustration at his mangled thoughts, the deranged, guilt ridden emotional man stood up, and strode with purpose to his room, where he jam-packed a bag, gathering precious objects and garments.

With one last look around the room, he pulled off his engagement ring, leaving it on the bed-side table, before apparating to where he knew Ron Weasley- _The worthless bugger- _lived. 


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione slowly sank into the cushions of the couch, trying to keep from crying again. _She was a Gryffindor for Pete's sake_._ She shouldn't be sitting here helplessly weeping_. As she let out a small breath of absolute frustration, she looked around the room, noticing how different it looked since she had lived there. The couches were now run-down looking things, with stains decorating them, and small end tables cluttered with papers stood beside them. No pictures hung on the wall, and where their used to sit a bookshelf now sat a mass of bottles, mainly Fire Whiskey bottles. All in all, the room was absolutely dreary. _Just like this visit_.

Her plan hadn't really worked out as she had hoped it would've. When she had apparated to Ron's she had expected him to be home. That was her first mistake. Then when she entered, she had been met with the stale odour of alcohol. The entire house had been a mess, so without thinking about it, Hermione had begun to clean the porch, then the kitchen, and she had just started on the hallway when he had arrived home. Drunk. And so she had helped him to bed, ignoring his slurred protests. And now here she was, nervous, disappointed and utterly upset. She really should learn to lower her expectations on everyone. As she sat there, unable to rest, she thought about her life since the war, and about her failed relationship with Ron.

_Everything was chaotic right after the war; the cleaning and renovations of Hogwarts, new teachers, new laws, new Ministers among other professions being replaced by certain Wizards. And many, many funerals; Tonks, Lupin, Snape, Colin Creevey, among others. The worst, most painful memory was at Fred's funeral, watching George, Molly, Arthur, Ginny, Percy, Bill and Charlie all fall apart. All Hermione could do was hold Ron while he watched his brother get buried. Not long after, Ron got offered a job as an Aurora, as did Harry. Both of the boys jumped at the offer, and Hermione was left to go back for her seventh year at Hogwarts alone. She had also been offered a job, but she had politely declined, knowing how easily the Ministry was manipulated. Instead she spent the year studying hard, focusing was easier now that she didn't have Ron and Harry to distract her, although it was incredibly lonely. She got the occasional letter though, from her parents. Right after the war she had travelled to Australia in order to restore their memory. The couple had decided to stay in Australia though, leaving her alone. Draco Malfoy had also returned to the school, halfway through the school year though. She had hardly noticed though, for she had been busy with tests, studying and spending free time and holidays with Ron. Not surprisingly she finished school with honours, and searched for private businesses that she could work for. Right after Hogwarts she had moved in with Ron, and everything had seemed perfect. _

_She went to numerous interviews, and was finally hired by the Institute: A Private Business which focused mainly on gathering documents, objects and other miscellaneous things as proof in order to use in court. This proof was used to prove a witch or wizards innocence, or else it was used to prosecute others. In other words she technically worked in a 'Lawyers' office. At first she was working as a secretary, answering phones, controlling the Floo network, and filing the objects that came through the building. It was also around this time that she found out about Ron's compulsive drinking. Sometimes they would go out for a few drinks, before going home, but when she got her job, she was never home early enough to go out. She had believed that perhaps he spent his evenings at home, or in his office. Until one night when she arrived home after a particularly hard day at the office, and found Ron absolutely intoxicated to the point where he couldn't even see straight. She had been troubled, but she brushed it off as a random occurrence, until it happened again... And again... And again. _

_Finally she had convinced him to try to get some help; to talk to a therapist. Ron did, and he explained how he felt that he had no purpose in life, and how he felt empty without Fred. Hermione had felt extremely guilty for not knowing this, and began to dote on her boyfriend. She would work hard at the office, and get home early to make him dinner, and clean the house. This led to Ron proposing to her. She had accepted, and not long after got promoted at the Institute. This was when she began going out on the missions to retrieve the evidence. Much to her surprise, after her rigorous, and difficult training she was partnered with none other than Draco Malfoy. He was so unlike the boy who she had gone to school with, that she decided he must had been a changed man. Things got very hectic after her promotion, for she was now gone for a few days at a time. When she was home everything seemed good, although Ron had become quite agitated all the time. He would yell at her for small things; like missing a small smudge in a glass when doing dishes. A few times he had hit her when she had talked back to him; defending herself. Even though Hermione hated herself for it, she forgave him every time, making excuses for him. She not only lied to others about her relationship, she lied to herself, telling herself that everything was fine, he was just upset that she was always gone. _

_Her and Draco worked together for almost a year, before she finally broke down and told Draco about her relationship problems. It was after an intense argument between the duo, about her cat Crookshanks. He had got rid of the cat while she was at work, without even telling her. Later, he admitted to the cat getting loose one night when he was drunk. Hermione had yelled at him, and he had locked her outside the apartment. Astoundingly, Draco had listened, and he had comforted her. He even went as far to tell her that she should leave him. Ignoring this advice the fights went on for a few months, until Hermione arrived home a few days early from a particularly easy mission. She had walked into the apartment, noticing empty liquor bottles tossed around. She followed the hallway, confused, and entered her bedroom to unpack. This was when she had found out Ron had been cheating on her. _

_Without waiting for an excuse, Hermione had stormed out and left, spending the next few days in a hotel, before finding the apartment that she currently lives in. When she returned to work, Draco had noticed right away that she didn't wear her engagement ring, and Hermione admitted to him what she had seen. He had flown into a rage, and ranted about how useless Ron was. A week or two later, Draco had cornered her on a mission and had kissed her. Then he left the next day; quitting his job, and moving out of his apartment without a word to her._

Hermione realized with a start that she had begun to doze off, and she yawned widely. Hesitantly, she stood up, and walked to Ron's bedroom, opening the door with a pause; peeking into the room to make sure he was still passed out. With quiet steps, Hermione walked in to the room, gently tugging the extra blanket off of the foot of the bed. Retreating quickly, Hermione wrapped herself in the soft blanket; recalling how Molly had sewn it for her and Ron. With a grimace, Hermione went to the kitchen, where she put on coffee; determined not to fall asleep. She sat at the table for a long moment, nursing her coffee as she watched vehicles drive past the window. Her mind slowly drifted back to Draco, and she couldn't help but notice how much she missed him. Even though he had been a complete arse to her, she still wished he was here with her for company.

Against her will, images of their love-making filled her mind, and once again she found tears glistening in her eyes. _How could a mere memory of him cause her to feel so terrible? It was as if she was homesick for him, although they had only been together for not even a week. What was she becoming? A love-sick, obsessive girl? A Lavender Brown? Besides, she smart to have left Draco. She couldn't trust him, and he was a very manipulative person. She was much better off without him. _ Hermione let out a sigh; giving herself a head-ache with her constant thoughts. With a small grimace, she stood up to put her coffee mug in the sink. As she turned to look around, a large "Pop" sounded throughout the apartment. Hermione immediately thought about Ron, and how perhaps he woke up and apparated away without a word to her.

Panicked, Hermione raced out of the kitchen, running right into somebody's rock hard stomach. With a cuss, Hermione was knocked backwards, falling not-so-gently onto her backside. With a glare, Hermione looked up to shout at whoever had been blocking her path. When her eyes met intense dark grey once the words died on her lips, and instead she muttered a quiet, resolute "Shit" as her heart began to race.

When he offered his hand to assist her up, she pushed him away, and stood up on her own. Sighing noisily, she crossed her arms, scowling at the blonde-haired bloke. "What in the bloody hell are you doing here, Malfoy?"


	12. Chapter 12

When he met her eyes he noticed two things right away. First, Hermione had been crying recently, her eyes slightly swollen and red, and the second thing was that she was absolutely exhausted. Concern flickered over his features, and he lightly grabbed her elbow to keep her from falling over. With a low growl of hardly covered contempt, she pulled away, pushing hard on his chest to get away from him. Crossing her arms, she stared at him, completely and utterly emotionless. Her carefully controlled expression stabbed at Draco, as he realized that he had hurt her more than he had thought he had. Carefully he started to walk towards her, pain evident in his eyes.

"I didn't realize how hard it must have been for you to be at my house..." He cleared his throat, and bit down on his lip before continuing. "I was focused on myself, and my work, when I should have been paying attention to you. I never meant to hurt you, Hermione... Please, believe me. Hurting you is one of the last things I'd ever want to do." His eyes searched hers for some sort of emotional response to his words, but instead she just nodded, staring past him.

Her voice was thin, and wavering, "Okay... Well I'm glad we have that cleared up. Thank you. Now I'm busy so you should go back home to your fiancé. I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience to your marriage or your work." She nodded again, and turned stiffly, walking towards the kitchen, utterly tense and feeling nauseated. She slowly sank into a chair, placing her head in her hands, listening silently. She was taking slow, deep breaths as she tried to calm herself, wishing that things were different between her and Malfoy. Wishing that maybe, just maybe they had the possibility of having a future together.

Draco stood in the living room, absolutely flabbergasted at her words. _Inconvenience his marriage or his work? What did she mean by that? If anything she's been a vast help to his work, and as for his marriage... There was no way in hell he was actually going to go through with it. _With a soft sigh, he followed her into the small kitchen that stank like... _Stale brandy? Whiskey?_ Some sort of alcohol. Wrinkling his nose against the smell he walked up behind her, and very carefully placed his hands on her shoulders. He felt her flinch, and then wince as her muscles stiffened even more. Draco was shocked to feel just how uptight she was, and guilt washed through his as he realized it was his fault she was like this. Slowly he began to rub her back; massaging her softly as he whispered quietly. "You are not an inconvenience to me, nor were you ever. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not in love with Nicole? I am certainly not going to marry her, therefore I would rather you stop mentioning her. I despise the fact that I even had to pretend to love her when you were there. It was awful, Hermione." After a long pause, where Draco tried to straighten out his thoughts he sighed. "When I realized that you'd seen me in bed with her, I wanted to die. I've never hated myself more than I did in that moment. Knowing how much that must've hurt you... And the fact that I can't do anything to help you forget it. It's hell, Hermione. You have no idea how much I wish that you were Nicole and that at night I'd get to kiss you goodnight... Whisper sweet nothings to you." His voice had grown thick, and he leaned his forehead against the top of her head as he continued to massage her.

She relaxed against his gentle rubbing, and leaned back against him; listening to him talk. His confessions warmed her, although they also made her insufferably sad. She wanted to curl beside him every night, have him hold her as she fell asleep... She wanted to be his. But, she knew that was impossible. He was devoted to his mission, and she had to help Ron. Opening her eyes, she smiled sadly, turning to look up at him. Her eyes slowly took in every inch of his face; his dark eyes, his white bangs that fell onto his forehead, his solemn expression, and his lips that were forming a frown. Very lightly she pressed her hands against his cheek, before muttering. "You should go before Ron wakes up. He won't appreciate you being here..."

"I want to help you... I told you that I would. I promised you I'd help to save Weasley." He stared at her in confusion, his eyebrows pulling in together. He had pretty much admitted his feelings for her, and all she had said in return was that he should leave. _Was he wrong? Did she not feel the same towards him?_

Hermione paused before biting down on her lip. Hesitantly she admitted, "Draco... You know I care for you. It's obvious in the way you are able to make me become so... Furious all the time. But I'm petrified to trust you again. You seem to do nothing except think of ways to upset me. I feel awful even talking about this because of Nicole. When I was with you two together, you seemed as though you really did love her, and how am I supposed to know that you aren't just lying to me, like you are to her? You are very convincing, and that terrifies me. I have had more than enough problems in the past few months. Am I supposed to believe you when you tell me you won't leave me again? Am I just supposed to forget how you deserted me, didn't tell me you were engaged, and then brought me to your house where your fiancé was? I don't know if I can stand to watch you toss my trust aside again as if it means nothing to you. Especially since lately, you've only been doing things for your own selfish gain... Right now, this is the Draco I like... The one who seems to actually care for something other than himself, or his job. For the last few days all I've witnessed is a self-seeking, manipulative man, who quite frankly, frightens me. You seem like the Malfoy I knew in school, when your father was influencing you. I don't want to be near that again." Hermione watched his facial expression turn to guilt, and she sighed, pulling away from him. Standing up, she looked at him, her heart feeling like stone as she held back tears. "And for those reasons, I think you should leave. I have to protect not only myself, but Ron too, and I don't think trusting you is a good idea."

Draco swallowed lightly, closing his eyes as he realized that he was too late- that he had hurt her one too many times. Just as he took a step towards her, a muffled noise sounded down the hall, most likely Ron waking up. Hermione tried to smile at him, but failed, just looking absolutely miserable, before moving to walk around him. With little time to think of the consequences of his actions, Draco wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his chest. Without a single moment of hesitation, Draco pressed his lips to hers, his hand cradling the back of her head. She parted her lips as a gasp of surprise escaped her, allowing for him to take instant advantage. His mouth twisted against hers; opening hers more fully and his tongue penetrated deeply in intimate possession. Her mind whirled, and against her own will she melted against him like honey; drained of all strength. Finally, he pulled away staring at her sombrely, his eyes dark with desire as he caressed her jaw. "I swear, Hermione. I will protect you, and I won't hurt you again. Do not make me leave."

Mutely, she nodded, her head still clouded from his breathtaking kiss. All she could think about was how safe she felt with his arms holding her, and she leaned against his chest; still exhausted. She felt his lips press against her forehead, and she tried to clear her mind; deciding if she had made the right choice. Just as she opened her eyes a gruff, deep voice broke through the haze Draco's kiss had created.

Ron Weasley stood in the doorway of his kitchen, glowering at Draco menacingly; his eyes slightly bloodshot. Clad in rumpled trousers and a shirt, Draco guessed he was wearing yesterday's clothes. His red hair was longer; cascading in a knotty mess around his freckled face as he tried to focus. "What in the bloody hell are you doing here?"

**Sorry for the chapter. I've had terrible writers block, and am deciding where to go with this story. Please read and review, and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know! I'd appreciate it greatly. Thank you all for reading this far. :) XXX-Alannah**


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione almost jumped away from Draco; her face aflame with embarrassment. With a small nervous smile, Hermione walked up to Ron, rubbing her hands on her robes. Her wide brown eyes flickered from Draco's face to the red heads, and she quietly cleared her throat. "Don't you remember? I was here last night, and I helped you to bed?"

Draco noticed that Hermione seemed quite tense near the other lad, and flinched when Ron ran a hand through his hair.

"I knew you were here, 'Mione. I want to know why that pathetic git is in my house?" Ron's bright red eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms; staring menacingly at Draco. With a step forward, Ron tried to seem daunting, but in Draco's opinion he looked feeble, and hung-over.

"He's here because I-" Her voice cut off as she tried to think of an excuse, and Draco interrupted quietly, his voice confident, and unyielding.

"I'm here for Hermione, evidently. We need to protect you, and I imagine that although Hermione can kick some major ass, if you decided to lay a hand on her again she wouldn't fight back, because she cares for you still. God knows why though, you're obviously useless. And you stink like a brewery. Go have a shower." Draco wrinkled his nose, and took Hermione's hand in his; clearly trying to prove a point to Ron. Much to Draco's surprise, Hermione clasped his hand back; more upset than she seemed.

Ron paused, staring at the duo in front of him, before lightly clearing his throat. "I wouldn't ever hit her! And why would I need protection? Especially from you?" Weasley's face was becoming redder with confusion and anger; not to mention jealousy.

With a sigh, Hermione bit her lip. "Ron... We- Draco and I, have reason to believe that there are people coming to frame you for a crime you didn't do. We need to stay with you in order to ensure your safety, and also... Just to make sure you're as aware as possible, perhaps you should…" Her voice dropped to a whisper, hesitant. "Stop drinking…"

The man gawked at her for a long moment; his stare becoming angry, then slowly it became sad. Shakily he looked around the room, swallowing quickly, before frowning. "Coming for me? Who would be coming for me?"

Slowly, Hermione sat at the table again, watching warily as Ron did the same. Draco stood behind Hermione, with his hands on her shoulders lightly. With a weak smile at Ron, she pushed her bangs off her face. "The Institute where I work... The superior at the company has been framing innocent people, using the information I gather. At my last heist; where I met up with Draco I came across this..." She slowly stood, and walked to her belongings in the corner of the room, returning a moment later with the file. Sliding it across the table, she watched as Ron read through his biography with a frown. "The man, Malakinn, has obviously been keeping tabs on you, making sure that you will be a suitable victim."

Ron's eyes were wide, and he rubbed his temples lightly. With a groan, he muttered, "I need a drink. So, you're trying to tell me some nut-case is after me?"

Draco pulled away from Hermione, and nodded lightly, moving to the cupboard where he took out a glass. "Precisely." He filled the glass with water from the tap, placing it in front of Ron, with a wide smirk. "Drink up. It's going to be a long day, mate."

Ron glared spitefully, pushing the glass away. "Fine. You can go right ahead with your insane delusions that people are after me, but I don't believe you. I'm going to have a shower." With a deep scowl the man stood up, and stalked angrily out of the room.

Draco grinned lightly, taking the glass of water, and taking a large drink from it; amused at the red-heads reaction. He looked around, before focusing on the girl in front of him. "So... That went much better than I imagined it would."

She frowned up at him, shaking her head lightly, muttering something about him being a dick under her breath, before standing up. "We need groceries. I cleaned out all his cupboards, and he has no food. Would you go get some? I think it'd be best if you and him aren't left alone together." She looked up at the white-blonde haired man, hesitating before sighing. "And... Please come back."

A small look of irritation crosses over his face, and he steps closer to her; wrapping his arms around her waist effortlessly, as if it was a natural thing. Very gently he kisses the top of her head, trying to rid her of her stress marks on her forehead. "I promise that I won't leave you again. I will never desert you, Hermione." He held her tight to his chest, in a comforting hug, feeling her begin to slowly relax against him.

"I hate seeing him like this, Draco... I miss the Ron I grew up with." Her voice trembled lightly at the confession, and she pressed her face against his shoulder. A stab of remorse filled him as he imagined how much Hermione has had to go through in the past few years, and he decided silently that he would never let her have to go through anymore hard times alone. No matter what, he would be there for her.

"I know you do." Even though jealousy shot through him at the mere thought of Hermione being close friends with Ron again, he decided if that would make her happy, then he would do his damndest to help her. Very lightly, he tipped up her chin, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, before pulling away. "On to groceries then... What exactly do we need?"

A light blush covered Hermione's cheeks from his kiss, and she seemed flustered for a moment, before remembering that she'd made a list. "Um, one moment..." She glanced up at him, before moving to the table, where she moved a few papers, and came up with a shopping list, and some muggle money. "It'll be safer to shop at a regular grocery store, so that there is less of a chance of being found, so I got some money exchanged earlier."

Ogling her in admiration, Draco thought about how smart that was, and how he should had thought of it as well. He watched her shift under his gaze, and lightly run her finger through her thick hair nervously.

"What are you staring at? Do I have something on my face?" Hermione pursed her lips in somewhat of a frown, wiping at her face distractedly. With a soft smirk, he shook his head, and gently took the list and money from her.

"No, you look fine, Granger. I'll be back before you know it." He grinned with a small wink.

Watching him intently, Hermione let out a soft sigh. "Be safe, Malfoy."

"I always am." He replied, humour etched in his expression before he apparated, leaving her alone with Ron once again.

She stared at where he had been; thinking about how affectionate he was being with a small smile. _This is the Draco I like... _She looked around, before once again beginning to clean; moving from room to room. She dusted, swept, emptied liquor bottles she found and threw out garbage. After a short period of time, she felt someone watching her, so she turned and jumped slightly; her eyes wide.

"What are you doing here, Mudblood?" Emanated the snarky voice of Pansy Parkinson, her hands on her slender hips as she stared at the other girl. Hermione's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the Slytherin girl; her hair perfectly straight, and her lush lips curled in to her regular sneer.

**How do we like the new relationship forming around Draco and Hermione? If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to let me know! Thank you for reading, please review! **


	14. Chapter 14

Pansy's scowl didn't take away from her menacing beauty. Hermione had always been slightly jealous of the other girl; and right now she remembered why. Her face was flawless; angular, and sharp, and her eyes were a deep brown. The woman had filled out since school, and Hermione felt slightly insignificant next to her. Pansy was tall, and slender; although not nearly as toned as Hermione. If it came down to a physical fight; Hermione was positive that she would win.

Just as she was about to speak, Hermione noticed that Pansy was wearing what looked like a waitressing outfit; and carrying a bag of take-out. _Why on Earth would Pansy be coming here after work... Unless..._

"Good Godric! You live with Ron now?" Hermione's eyes widened and she felt slightly awed. Ron had managed to capture the Ice Queens heart? _When had they met again? Where did they meet? How did they start seeing each other?_

_" _I don't live here..." Pansy's sneer was now gone, replaced with a faint blush. She took a deep breath, crossing her arms as if trying to look imposing. "What are you doing here Granger? And where is Ron?"

"He's in the shower. And I was here to talk to Ron, although he doesn't seem to want to listen..." Hermione paused her eyes widening. "The report said he wasn't seeing anyone."

"Report? You're spying on him? God, you really are pathetic, aren't you?" She had regained her composer, and was now glaring at the brown haired witch.

"This changes everything... Maybe, if they realized you two are together, then I don't have to be here!" Hermione was almost giddy with her train of thought; not having to endure staying in this godforsaken house. The more she thought about it, the better her idea seemed to her.

"What are you going on about, Granger? Have you finally become delusional, or are you just trying to seem like Trelawney? Because you are certainly succeeding." Pansy moodily stared at Hermione; her eyes cloaked with loathing.

With a small frown of disapproval, Hermione stood straighter out of indignation. She had hated that ridiculous, lie-spouting fool. "I am not anything like Trelawney, thank you very much. And I'm not going senile."

"Well, what in the fuck are you doing here?" Pansy had obviously become fed-up with Hermione, and her posture was anything but happy.

With a sigh, Hermione explained the situation, and led Pansy to the kitchen to show her the notes. Much to her surprise when she stepped into the kitchen she noticed Draco was back. And not only that; but he was talking to Ron, and in the middle of preparing some kind of pasta.

"So, you really did break up a pack of former Death Eaters trying to take down the Ministry?" Draco enquired, looking up at Ron sceptically.

Shrugging lightly, Ron looked better, but still tired and hung-over. "Well, Harry did most of the work, and it wasn't _Former _Death Eaters... It was a bunch of kids who were trying to figure out a way to find the Dealthy Hallows in order to bring Voldemort back to this world. Or so that was what they were saying."

At the name of his former master, Draco visibly flinched, but nodded lightly; his eyes dark with repressed emotions. Hermione felt the urge to walk up to him, and hold him, but she stopped herself.

"Draco?" Pansy's voice came out in almost a gasp; shock causing her eyes to widen. At that moment Hermione hated her. Everything about Pansy screamed 'Perfect' and Hermione loathed when it was focused on Draco.

Turning around, Draco caught Hermione's eyes with a small smile, before looking at Pansy. His light eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and he ran a hand through his hair. "Parkins- Pansy? What are you doing here?"

"W-What are you doing here is the better question, Draco." Her voice had grown soft, with a slight underlying tone of anger. With a glance at Ron, who was now glowering at Draco, Pansy moved over towards him, tucking her hand in his, causing Draco's eyes to widen.

"I'm obviously cooking dinner." Was all Draco said, turning back to the stove to stir the pasta, and add a smidge of spice to his sauce. Hermione stood there, feeling entirely out of place among Ron and Pansy.

"So..." Hermione cleared her throat gently, and moved to the table, picking up the documents to pass to Pansy, "This is why we're here." As Pansy read the papers, Hermione glanced over at Draco; noticing how tense he looked.

"Why does it say that he's single, when he's not?" Pansy murmured, frowning as she looked up from her paper. Hermione was still completely flabbergasted that the two of them were together. Her shock was apparently evident when Ron looked up at her, amusement on his weary features.

"You think it's strange that Pansy and I are together, don't you, 'Mione?" His face was lit up with a strange mirth as she nodded lightly; blushing. Draco looked over to see her response. Just as she nodded, Ron continued. "Well, you know what I think is extremely odd? The fact that you and Pureblood are together, considering how much he loathes your kind."

Hermione's lips parted in shock that Ron had said that to her; insulted. As her cheeks flushed with anger, she crossed her arms. "I... We... We are not together. And I can't believe that you just insinuated than I was less of a witch due to my birth. Ron Weasley, you really aren't the man I thought you were." Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned, briskly walking out of the room, and going to the patio, where she sat on the cold steps.

She had sacrificed everything to come protect this man, who had cheated on her and made her more depressed than ever. It's not like she was expecting any gratitude, but he had never insinuated she was less of a person due to her blood status. What in the world caused him to do it today? The cold night air slowly caressed her skin, causing her to shiver lightly. for a moment she wished she could go back to how it was back in school, without a worry... _Well, except for schoolwork. But, even that was a good distraction._

With a small sigh, she wrapped her arms around herself; jumping slightly when a few moments later someone sat beside her. With a weary glance, she made out Ron's profile, and she turned her attention to her sock feet, wondering distractedly if she should had put on shoes. Biting her lip, she tried to calm down, although all she wanted to do was leave, and not have to put up with Ron's excuses again.

" 'Mione, I didn't mean it like that. You're the smartest witch I know. I would never hurt you-"

"You always hurt me, Ron." Hermione interjected, her anger and impatience getting the best of her. "I'd do anything for you, and I think you know that... I had no intentions of ever coming back to this house, Ron, but when I found out that you were in danger I had to. The one thing worse than the memories here, is not having one of my best friends. I worry about you, Ron. All the time. Even though we aren't dating, doesn't mean that I don't constantly think of you. I grew up with you, Ron. All those years at Hogwarts, you were my family when my parents weren't with me." Her voice catches, and she tries to hold back the tears. "I tried so hard to help you, Ron. I loved you. I would had done anything to help you overcome your drinking. You were both my best friend, and my first love. I was destroyed when I caught you in bed with that floozy. The only thing that kept me from moving home to my family was Draco. He helped me, and then he left me. I was so close to complete devastation. You have no idea what it was like for me to lose so many people, Ron. No idea."

By this time, tears were streaming down Hermione's face, and her shoulders shook with the effort not to sob. As her breathing hitched with each breath, she looked up at Ron's reddening face. His shoulders were tense with indignation.

"I have no idea? Hermione, I lost my older brother. I think I have more of an idea of loss than you do."

With a very sad smile, she turned to her former lover, her eyes red. "I know that you loved Fred, Ron. I did too. I grew up with your family. I honestly thought that one day they would be my family as well. When Fred was killed, a part of me died too, I understand it... But at the same time I lost you. No matter how hard I tried, you wouldn't focus on anything besides the fact that he passed away. Fred was like my mentor, Ron. Every single time that I was up alone studying in school, Fred would come back from doing some sort of prank... George, Fred and I spent so many nights just talking with each other in the Common Room." Smiling softly, she paused. "I even helped them with ideas for their inventions. Potions, charms, incantations, you name it... I did the research. You never seemed to remember that you weren't the only one that was effected by the war, Ron. As much as I tried to convince myself that you actually cared for me, I haven't seen any sort of kindness from you since the war. I tried to love you, Ron, but you wouldn't let me. I hope that you're better with Pansy, because no girl deserves to be treated the way you treated me. I tried to convey how I felt about you to Draco, and how much our friendship means to me, and I realized something. I don't like you. You aren't the Ron that I grew up with, and you're undeniably not the Ron that I care for. How am I supposed to try to care for you, when you don't care for yourself? Drinking every day... I abhor it. Don't you think that your family, including Harry and I have had enough to deal with since the war? Distressing about you, and your habits should not be one of our top priorities, Ron. I think you should try and get your life sorted out, and I think that Pansy will help you, if you let her. You have to want to change yourself... It's not just going to happen. And until you have cleaned up, I don't think I can stand being around you. It's much too painful."

Slowly Hermione stood up, looking at the red head with a great deal of misery. His face was white, and he looked up at her with utter remorse on his features, his freckles contrasting deeply with his pale disposition. "I... I never thought about... Hermione... I..." He swallowed lightly, and tears were filling his eyes. "I promise I'll try. Im so sorry."

With a small nod, Hermione walked into the house, turning only to mutter softly. "I believe in you Ron... I know you can do it."

As she entered the kitchen, Draco looked up and frowned at her swollen, tearstained eyes. Standing slowly, he crossed the room in a few strides, lightly wrapping him arms around her. "What do you want to do, Hermione?" he whispered, holding her close.

With a feeble smile, she bit down on her quivering lip, and sniffed. "I want to go home."

Draco contemplated this for a moment, before deciding that by now her house was probably safe enough to go to. With a soft nod, he turned to look at Pansy, and muttered. "Well, I'll talk to you later, Pansy... Take care of that bloke of yours." Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead against Hermione's hair, apparating to her house with a swift "POP".


	15. Chapter 15

She clung to him; her arms around his neck and her face against his chest. He could feel her heart race through her shirt, and he gently stroked her back in an effort to calm her. He knew she hated apparition. She hated it so much in fact, that she had been one of the last to learn it back at Hogwarts. It made her violently ill at first, if he recalled correctly.

As Draco opened his eyes, the scent of her apartment wafted around him, and he relaxed at the smell. He knew the smell of her apartment from the few times he had visited it with her when they were partners. Even back then he found it comforting. The mixed scents of lilac; musty books and vanilla filled the small house.

To his great dismay, Hermione pulled away from him after having a few moments to calm herself. Her brown eyes were still slightly swollen from crying, and Draco wanted to comfort her. _This woman, _he thought in awe, _has gone through so much in the last few days, yet she hasn't given up… Hell, she's been through so much in the last few months. _As her gaze finally settled on him, a stab of guilt pierced his heart. More than half of the hell she's gone through has been due to him. The fact that she still stood beside him was completely mind boggling.

With a small yawn, Hermione lightly took his hand and started to walk out of the kitchen, before stopping abruptly. Turning to look up at him, her eyes wide, she flushed slightly.

"I didn't even realize… I presumed, but I never asked… I'm sorry."

Draco stared down at the adorable witch with a frown. "What are you going on about, Granger?"

Her lips curved up in a small, rueful smile. "I never even asked if you were staying with me tonight, or going back home?" Her smile slipped slightly, and she bit down on her lip.

Remorse tugged at Draco, and he let out a soft grimace. The fact that she even had to ask him made his heart clench with self-loathing.

"I'm going to stay with you, sweetheart. If that's alright."

The way her face lit up made him feel ten times worse, if possible. Her hand gave his an excited squeeze, and very quickly lifted herself up on her tip-toes in order to press her soft lips against his slightly scruffy cheek.

"You need to shave, Malfoy. Your cheeks could probably cut someone…" She trailed off into a yawn, and Draco frowned lightly. _When was the last time she actually got a full night of sleep?_

"We need to get you to bed, Hermione." With a soft smirk, Draco walked her down the hall, and into the bedroom. Looking around he noticed the large bookshelf towering next to the bed. The walls were covered in photographs of Her, Ron and Harry all glancing from each other to the camera, laughing. Draco started moving from photograph to photograph as Hermione slowly changed into a large t-shirt, and boy-shorts as pajamas.

"When did you take this?" Draco murmured in surprise, when he found a picture of himself sitting under a tree at Hogwarts. He was clad in his Slytherin robes, looking across the lake with a sad expression. You could see the ripples on the water, and the wind blowing the tree leaves, yet it was as if he was from a muggle picture. Immobile, and frozen. It was truly a beautiful picture; though he hadn't known it had existed.

Very slowly Hermione walked up behind him, a blush on her cheeks. "It was seventh year, and I never had anyone to actually spend time with, so I usually just walked around the grounds. I had my camera one day, and I saw you… You looked so somber, and depressed. It made me think about how much your family sacrificed in the war, and I didn't want to ever forget that moment, because it was when I had finally forgave you for your atrocities at school."

Draco stared at the photo for a long moment, before putting it down, and turning around to face the girl. Smiling softly he leaned and gave her a gentle peck, before scooping her up, and moving to the bed where he gently laid her down. "You need to go to sleep, missy."

She pouted up at him, and he rolled his eyes. Quickly he stripped off his trousers and his shirt, slipping into bed beside her. With a content sigh, Hermione nuzzled up against him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. Her body moulded against his perfectly, and he automatically wrapped his arms around her, pulling the covers over them.

"Mmmm, Draco?" Hermione whispered softly, her eyes closed.

"Yes?" He mumbled, watching how her eyelashes made shadows down her serene, flawless complexion.

"I like it when you're like this… When you're My Draco."

Her simple explanation made him close his eyes, and press his lips to her forehead. _Her Draco… he loved the sound of that. _"Goodnight, sweetheart. Sweet dreams."

She smiled lightly at both his kiss, and how he called her sweetheart. "Goodnight."

It didn't take long for the nestling couple to fall asleep; both feeling incredibly safe within each other's arms. The two slept tranquilly until small rays of sun filtered through the thick drapes covering the windows.

Stretching lightly, Hermione shifted pushing her body even tighter against Draco's toned; muscular chest. Blinking awake, her eyes looked around, and she realized she was at home. Memories from the night before washed over her, and she curled around Draco, remembering his soft, caring gestures. How she could had ever n=been upset with him baffled her.

"He's wonderful. Perfect." She whispered, drowsily, jumping when he replied with his eyes still closed.

"You'd better be talking about me, Granger, or I may just fly into a jealous rage. Do I need to beat anyone up in order to gain your adoration?" His lips were lifted in a playful smile, and his arms flexed around her; pulling her closer.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud…" She whispered in embarrassment.

His eyebrows rose, and finally he cracked open his eyelids', revealing slits of stormy grey. His eyes were full of restless mirth, and he lightly pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "I like that you said it out loud. Now I know how you feel about me."

"Well, I think it is a tad discriminating, because I don't know how you feel about me, Draco." Her voice was playful, flirty even, but her wide, brown eyes searched his for some kind of clue.

"Maybe I feel the same…" He muttered, watching her lips form a small frown. She slowly moved away from him.

"Maybe?" She whispered under her breath. "I'm going to shower." She said; excusing herself, slightly insulted by his easy dismissal of her.

Grabbing her wrist lightly, Draco pulled her back down, onto his and his eyes were darker now. Desire slowly unfurled in her as his eyes stared at her with longing. "Don't leave, 'Mione." When she parted her lips to try to make another pretext he swooped in; pressing his lips to hers in a devastatingly deep kiss. His tongue pressed against hers; quickly fighting for dominance and succeeding. His hands roamed over her sides, balancing himself above her. His hardening length pressed against her thigh, and she very slowly grinded her hips against him; all traces of her anger gone as need enveloped her.

His breath left in a hiss as his jaw clenched at her movements. Slowly he opened his eyes, and stared up at her; amazement evident in every feature. Hermione carefully shifted; causing him to look up at her as she straddled him. With a wicked grin, she tugged off her shirt; revealing her breasts to him. Shimmying her hips, a gasp escaped from the man beneath her, and she leaned down to press her lips to his. Eagerly he kissed her passionately; forcing her lips apart as his tongue invaded her mouth. His hands quickly found their way to her breasts, and her nipples puckered instantly at his touch. Slowly he pulled his lips off of hers, and trailed them down her neck. As he gently nipped at her delicate skin she twisted her fingers into his hair, gently tugging. She leaned her head slowly to the side, giving him more room for his gentle assault.

A soft moan erupted from his lips as he kissed her neck; his long fingers expertly teasing her breasts; her nipples pink from his pinching. She felt him smirk against her neck as he lightly tugged at her nipples, causing her to feel the sensation in her groin.

"Draco…" She managed around a moan of desire, writhing against him. With a quick pinch from his nimble fingers, she gasped; able to feel his arousal against her. With a quick movement, Draco was able to pull off her boy shorts in a matter of seconds. His hands moved to her sex, and very slowly he inserted a finger, feeling her. With a slow grin, his breathing quickened.

"You're already so ready for me, sweetheart." With a soft growl, he arched his hips, pulling off his own boxers easily. "I want you to ride me…" He breathed, as he slowly slipped one hand beneath her, lifting her, using the other to slowly position his length. With a groan he flexed his hips; easing into her very deliberately.

A groan escaped her lips as he stretches her open; filling her. Her mouth parted at the agonizingly sweet over-full feeling he provided, and very slowly she shifted her hips, causing him to emit a sound much like a growl. With a menacingly wicked smile, Hermione leaned over him; her hands on his chest as she began to slowly lift off of him, before slamming back onto him. Moaning, she whipped her hair back; her brown, thick hair cascading around the duo as he lifted his pelvis. With every thrust; her breathing became ragged, matching his. As the pace quickened; his hips moving faster, Hermione felt the tightening sensation in her lower abdomen. Finally, with one hard thrust Hermione felt her climax envelop her; causing her to call out Draco's name hoarsely. Her passionate moans caused Draco to unravel, pouring his hot seed into her with a groan of triumph. Slowly, Hermione collapsed onto his chest, pressing a soft kiss to his chest.

As he tried to catch his breath, he opened his astonishingly bright eyes, looking up at her. "That's how I feel about you."

"How?" Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion as she tried to comprehend his words.

"You make me crazy… I'm happy around you, and absolutely and irrevocably enchanted by you. By God, sweetheart, I'm almost positive you've bewitched me." He smirked up at her crookedly, and she returned it with a shy smile, leaning down to kiss him.


	16. Chapter 16

_There was fire surrounding her, causing sweat to bead over her features. Her eyes were wide as she looked around, seeing only darkness. The heat slowly consumed her, and she turned; trying to flee from the suffocating warmth. Her heart hammered as she found herself trapped; unable to move her limbs in any direction. _With a gasp, Hermione's eyes flew open, and she blinked slowly, her racing heart beginning to calm down.

As her eyes focused, she felt the heat- it wasn't just a dream. Draco Malfoy was twisted around her; his skin burning against her. She let her eyes roam over the blonde man; noticing with a small amount of desire that even when he was asleep Draco had a six-pack. With a sigh, she nuzzled against him for a moment, pressing a kiss to him shoulder before starting the task of untwisting herself from him. She started with his legs, gently using her feet to tug hers free, before turning, and softly unwrapping his arms from her waist. Shifting slowly, she reached the side of the bed, where she stretched lightly.

"I like waking up to this view..." Draco muttered; his voice incredibly gruff and deep from sleep. He stared up at Hermione drowsily, a soft smirk crossing over his features. Wrinkling her nose frivolously at him, she smiled and leaned down to kiss him very lightly.

"Good morning..." She whispered against his lips, before pulling away, and standing up. With a small growl, Draco reached for her, pulling her back onto the bed, where he pressed their lips together once again.

"Mmmm, it certainty is a good morning, Miss Granger." Draco held her close to him, and she lost herself against his lips for a moment, allowing the kiss to wake her up. His lips were soft, and she swiftly became aware of his growing erection. With a small smirk, she pulled away once again.

Slowly she walked to her dresser, pulling out underwear, jeans, a bra and a tank top. "I think I'm going to have a shower... You need to shave." She said, looking over her shoulder at him. "Are you honestly staring at my butt?" She turned around, crossing her arms with an amused smirk on her lips.

"Well, it's hard not to stare at it, when your waving it around in front of me, naked to boot." His grey eyes were alight with delight as he now stared up at her chest, his arms beneath his head. "Now, I can think of numerous things for you to do, all of which do not include a shower. Well... They could involve a shower I guess..." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Hermione rolled her eyes, giggling.

"You insatiable when it comes to sex, aren't you, Mr. Malfoy?" Sticking her tongue out at him childishly, Hermione started to walk to the bathroom, turning to look back at the man who was still watching her. "And, I think we should talk about how we are going to stop Malakinn... And the Institute in general. Perhaps we should get in touch with Maria?"

"Eugh, work in the morning? Fine. Go have a shower, and we'll talk afterwards." Yawning softly, Draco finally stretched and got out of bed. Hermione's eyes widened lightly, and lust streamed through her. All thoughts of having a shower evaporated as Draco slowly clambered into his boxers, his hair mussed from sleep.

"Shower... Hermione? Hermione... Go shower." Draco rolled his eyes as she blinked lightly, a small chuckle leaving him. "Did my body distract you? Don't tell me that you're only with me for my fitness."

Slowly she tore her eyes off of him, and looked up into his eyes, smirking. "Alright... I won't tell you. I'll keep it to myself."

Narrowing his eyes, he picked up his shirt, and balled it up. Throwing it at the brown-haired girl, he growled. "Shower, now wench."

"Wench? Did you honestly just call me a wench?" She tried to sound angry, but instead just sounded amused as she picked up his shirt.

"Be gone into the washroom. You're awfully stench-ridden." Draco watched her, his eyes full of mirth, as he sprawled back onto the bed.

"You little..." Laughter escaped her as she chucked his shirt back at him, wrinkling her nose. Rolling her eyes, she began to make her way to the bathroom, where she turned the shower on, and put her clothes on the counter. She showered quickly, washing her body and hair, before stepping out, and wrapping a towel around herself. Getting dressed, Hermione muttered a fast-drying spell on her hair, and walked out of the steamy room. As she made her way down the hall, she looked around, her lips forming a frown.

"Draco?" Wandering into the kitchen, Hermione looked around for the blonde man. _Where was her? _Worry started to envelope her, but she pushed it away. _He wouldn't leave her again. Would he? _Swallowing lightly, she moved to her spare room, before re-entering her bedroom. _Where in the bloody hell is he?_ With a sigh, she turned around, and went to the kitchen.

"This isn't funny, Malfoy..." A soft creak caused her to turn around, but not fast enough. She had just enough time to focus on a black ski-mask before the stunning spell hit her in the chest. Her vision blurred and all the air left her lungs as her legs collapsed beneath her. _Not again... _

_"Draco..." _She muttered softly as the floor hit her hard... _Or did she hit the floor? _Her vision went black, as she lost consciousness. The last thing she was able to notice were hands heaving her up, and lifting her off the ground.

**Major writers block. I have no idea what to do with this story now... Sorry for the pathetically long wait for this chapter and sorry for how short it is. As I already mentioned, I'm having a terribly hard time thinking of what I should make happen. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I'd love you forever. Xoxoxox- Alannah. **

**P.S- I still love follows, favourites and reviews. Thank you all! **


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